The Summer the Stars Fell
by Wixom
Summary: Admiral Daimlon - A young man having just graduated from the Academy, is to become the proud owner of a freshly constructed base out in the Pacific. Unknown to him, however, his starter will be a rather unique individual. The war in the Pacific is heating up, and Daimlon will be thrown into the thick of the action. Will he be ready? Or will he fall victim to the Abyssal onslaught?
1. First Meeting

_**Author's Note: Hello everyone, brand new author here. I present to you a story that will be a long one, if you don't like long stories this won't be for you. I will also be using many girls from the series in this story, and some WILL NOT have their personalities mirror their personalities in the game/anime. I will try to keep it as accurate as I can, but I may tweak them as I see fit to suit what I feel the story needs. If your shipfu doesn't behave like she normally does and you don't like it, the back button is in the top left hand corner.**_

_**This story is going to explore a wide variety of topics, and no specific genre will fit it. It will range from incredibly heavy stuff, all the way to light-hearted feel good moments. rated M for mature language, violence, some minor gore, and possible (unconfirmed) 'night battles'.**_

_**With that said, just to avoid confusion, this story is beginning in a flashback. Please enjoy, and feel free to leave a review criticizing any writing errors, or leave your general feedback. Whether you want to praise me or fling mud at me, I want to hear it. Thanks, and I hope to hear from you soon.**_

"_You're being reassigned. Again." Said the Grand Admiral behind his desk, glaring at the young woman in front of him. "This is the Fifth time I've had to reassign you for the same reason as the first. Please explain to me what the issue is, the only thing the Admirals I assign you to tell me is that you are 'unfit', and immediately request a transfer." The older gentleman in his white uniform re-positioned himself in his seat before lighting a cigar, waiting for her response._

_The young girl looked down to the floorboards. She shifted her weight about uncomfortably, as she tried to think of anything that she could tell him._

"_I... I'm not sure.. Admiral." The girl muttered. She knew the Grand Admiral's patience with her was wearing thin._

_The Grand Admiral puffed his cigar before billowing out a lungful of smoke. He sat up, and placed his cigar in his ash tray, and stared at her for a few moments. "You're lucky, normally we'd have nowhere to put you if not for current circumstances. We're opening a brand new Naval District, and we're assigning you to the Admiral responsible for it, you will be his starter. He's young, fresh out of the academy, but from what I'm told by his Instructors, he's a prodigy. Do everything you can to help him and make yourself useful to him."_

_The Grand Admiral then looked at her with a dead serious face. "If this new Admiral is displeased with you, he is under orders to have you scrapped." He picked up his cigar again and took another puff._

_The young girl's eyes widened, and her heart skipped multiple beats. She clenched her arms tight to her chest, placing her hands under her chin. "S-Scrapped? As in..." She said as she felt daggers sink deep into her heart._

"_That is correct. After this new Naval Base we have nowhere to send you. So, regrettably, it is the only option we'd have left." The Grand Admiral looked on at the girl with a stone cold face. He never did enjoy breaking bad news, but someone had to do it._

_The young girl's breathing became sporadic as the thought of being slowly torn apart piece by piece entered her mind. She felt her knees getting weak. She choked back tears before making her statement. "I will do nothing but my very best, sir." She said, trying to maintain composure._

_"That's good to hear... I can tell you are shaken up. Go ahead and get some rest so you can have a clear head__." The Grand Admiral said, with a hint of sympathy in his voice. "You will report to this room exactly 7 days from today at 0700 hours to meet your new Admiral, and you will depart for your new Naval Base at 0900 hours that same day." The Grand Admiral flicked the ashes off his cigar into his ash tray before continuing._

"_All facilities have already been constructed and several fairies of various types have already taken up residence, however you will be the only ship girl available until more are constructed. All you need to do is maintain a good impression on him, and don't fall out of his good graces... That is my final piece of advice to you." The Grand Admiral stood up from his seat and walked over to her._

"_With that aside, I am now speaking to you, not as an Admiral, but as a friend. You're a wonderful girl, nobody wants to see you scrapped. So if you have any need for help at all, just send a message." The Grand Admiral said as he extended his hand for a handshake. "I'll do what I can."_

_The young girl smiled and met his hand with hers, giving it a nice shake. "I..I will, thank you. You've always been very kind to me. For that... For that I can't thank you enough." She felt somewhat better after hearing the Admiral's kind words._

"_Anytime. I care a lot about the people under me." The Admiral said proudly with a smile. He let go of her hand, immediately raising it up to the brim of his white hat in a salute. She immediately returned the salute. "Dismissed." The Grand Admiral said before turning around, starting to walk back to his desk._

_The young girl turned around and walked out of the Grand Admiral's Office, and after shutting the door, gazed at her feet for a few moments. 'Scrapped? Like some dysfunctional piece of equipment? I can't let that happen.' She thought to herself. She started walking down the hallway that lead to the front door, so she could go back to her room in the Crew Quarters._

The young girl strode with her head down, thinking about what the Grand Admiral told her last week as she walked over to the Pacific Theater HQ. The area was bustling with activity, pallets of cargo moving about, cranes operating at every turn, and drums of fuel being transported to the docks via truck. She walked through the door to the massive building, and immediately began navigating her way to the Grand Admiral's Office. _'I hope my new Admiral is nice.'_ She thought to herself as her heart rate escalated. She could already feel the nervous energy accumulating within her. _'What if he's not? What will I do? No, every Admiral I've ever met has been a genuinely nice person.' _She thought to herself, trying to wipe off her concerns. She reached her destination. She could hear the echoes of two voices within the room, one was completely unfamiliar. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and took a deep breath. She knocked three times on the door.

"Enter." Said the Grand Admiral in a raised voice. She turned the knob on the door and swung it open.

Her heart immediately sunk. Standing beside the Grand Admiral was a taller man, in the same white uniform, however, brandishing a different rank. He was built heavily, with broad shoulders, and an aura that radiated authority. He had black hair, and a cleanly shaven face, with a slightly larger than average jawline. He had an almost emotionless scowl on his face as he examined his first ship girl, looking down his own nose at her.

"This is her?" He asked blandly, without taking his eyes off of her. He had a surprisingly average voice considering his stature.

"That's right." The Grand Admiral said simply.

The young girl immediately felt uncomfortable and placed her arms behind her back, and began fiddling with her fingers. Her gaze dropped to the floor for a moment or two before returning to look back at her new Admiral, opening her mouth to speak as she did.

* * *

"What do you mean I don't get to pick my own starter? I thought every new Admiral had a choice. Are we really running that low in numbers?" Admiral Daimlon said, slightly concerned.

"Well, It's true we are running low in terms of numbers of active ships, but ultimately it was decided because of one girl in particular. For whatever reason, every Admiral I've assigned her to has shipped her back with a letter in her hand stating she is 'unfit to serve this particular base', Demanding she be reassigned elsewhere." The Grand Admiral explained, as he walked over to the window. "She has been assigned to every Admiral in the Pacific Fleet, and every single one sent her back. The longest she lasted with any single Admiral was about a month and a half." He said as he turned around to face Admiral Daimlon.

"So, let me get this straight. I'm receiving a hand-me-down misfit based solely on the fact that I'm the only one that she has not worked under, despite significant evidence that she is incapable. Am I getting that right?" Admiral Daimlon said, seeking clarification. He hoped he was wrong.

"Yeah, that's putting it bluntly, but yes. That is exactly what's happening." The Grand Admiral said simply.

"Do you have any idea why these Admirals are telling you she is 'unfit'?" Admiral Daimlon asked.

"None of the Admirals have bothered telling me, they dodge the question when asked, and if I do get a response they simply brush it off by saying that it's complicated." The Grand Admiral said, he walked across the room, and stood next to Admiral Daimlon, before turning to him.

"So you're going to impose hard mode on me before I even begin by giving me a dysfunctional starter." Admiral Daimlon said bluntly as he crossed his arms.

"I feel bad for the poor girl, and I wanted to give her one final chance." The Grand Admiral said. He took a deep breath. "I want you to do what you can to help her, she's a fine young girl, and I don't want to see her scrapped. Find out what could be causing these problems, and help her in whatever capacity you can. However, if you feel that she is truly unfit to serve you, do not send her back to me with a letter asking to reassign her, I have nowhere left for this girl... If she proves herself a liability, you are under orders to scrap her on site, understood?" The Grand Admiral said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"It won't be an issue, Admiral. I'll take care of it." Admiral Daimlon said, his voice resonating with confidence.

"Keep me updated on what you find out, as well as your thoughts. I would also like to know should you decide to scrap her." The Grand Admiral continued to order.

"Understood. I'll keep you posted." Admiral Daimlon said before glancing at the clock. "It's 0703. She's already late." He stated.

"Relax, It matters not if she is late by only five minutes." The Grand Admiral said to his newest Admiral. "It gave us the chance to discuss her situation now instead of later. I wouldn't have had the chance to discuss it with you until you were about to leave for your ship had she shown up on time." The Grand Admiral said with a slight smirk on his face.

A few moments of silence passed.

"So why would you want to know if I scrap her. Are you going to hold a funeral service for her?" Admiral Daimlon inquired.

The Grand Admiral chuckled a bit. "Yes, just like every other girl, she is still a comrade who deserves the honors of a proper funeral. I want you to put the resources you gain from her to use, and notify me. She will be symbolically buried here with her own grave. If you wish to attend her funeral, you are permitted." The Grand Admiral explained.

"Emotions are tertiary in times of war. My duties, and the girls remaining under me come first." Admiral Daimlon stated.

"A respectable response, I'd expect nothing less. I believe you will do just fine, you're the best student we've had in a long time. And I'm sure she'll do just fine as well... It just might take a little time." The Grand Admiral said proudly.

"Thank you, Admiral. I'm itching to get started." Admiral Daimlon said with a hint of excitement.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Looks like you're about to right now." The Grand Admiral stated, as both, he and Daimlon, turned to face the door. "Enter." He said in a raised voice.

The doorknob began to turn slowly, and Daimlon expected the worst. A young girl walked through, and entered the room. He pointed his nose skyward slightly in interest. She wore a peach and white colored uniform, with a black skirt that flowed down to mid-thigh level. She had black sleeves that were separate from her uniform, and black shin-high socks. Her hair was lengthy, and brown, with bangs that swept sharply to either side of her face. It shone elegantly in the lighting of the room. Her eyes were a matching shade of brown, however, they were not as bright as the rest of her appearance. They were the eyes of someone who hadn't slept well, and had a lot on their mind.

"This is her?" Daimlon asked without breaking his gaze from her, still gathering information on her from appearance.

"That's right." The Grand Admiral said simply.

She averted her gaze downward, then back before she spoke.

"I-I.. My name is Jintsuu of the Sendai-Class Light Cruisers. It.. It's a pleasure to meet you." She spoke incredibly softly, almost in a mumble. She had her hands behind her back, and she shifted her weight around from one leg to the other as she spoke.

"This is Admiral Daimlon, your new Commanding Officer starting now." The Grand Admiral explained.

Jintsuu gave a surprisingly sharp salute. "I look forward to working with you, s-sir." Jintsuu said, stammering on the final part of her sentence.

"A Light Cruiser? I thought only Destroyers were able to be starters." Daimlon questioned the Admiral.

"A special exception just for you, my boy!" The Grand Admiral joked with a smile.

Daimlon looked back to Jintsuu, who was still holding her salute, and returned it properly.

"At ease." He stated. Both parties dropped their salutes. Daimlon maintained his stone faced expression, took a step or two forward, and extended his hand for a handshake. "The feeling is mutual, Jintsuu. My friends call me Don, you are permitted to call me by either name." Daimlon said blandly.

Jintsuu reached out to grasp his hand, and gave it a shake. When their hands grasped, Daimlon took another step forward and planted his left hand on her shoulder.

After breaking the handshake, Daimlon immediately turned to the Grand Admiral. "So what kind of Abyssal forces can we expect in the waters surrounding the Island?" He questioned.

"We have no reports of anything bigger than a Heavy Cruiser in the area, However, most reports indicate a large number of Destroyers and Light Cruisers. Assume submarines to be present as well, we haven't gotten any reports of them, but they're sneaky little bastards." The Grand Admiral reported.

"U-Ummm... Uh, I don't think I would be ab- be able to take on multiple ships at once, let alone a Heavy Cruiser... H-How are we going to operate safely?" Jintsuu asked nervously.

"Don't worry about that, Jintsuu, We'll establish that when we arrive at the base and get a SitRep, as well as a visual on our surroundings. For now we just bite our cheek and hope for the best." Daimlon explained professionally.

Jintsuu became increasingly uneasy at hearing this. _'I can already tell he doesn't really know what he's doing, and worse he's admitting it. He already seems like he's going to be difficult to please, and I'd be willing to bet he already doesn't like me... It doesn't matter. I need to give him my best and nothing less.' _Jintsuu thought to herself, trying to get a feel for her new commander.

The three of them continued to bounce various topics of discussion off one another, mostly revolving around the base itself, and Jintsuu stayed quiet most of the time.

"What kind of Anti-Aircraft capability will we have? What if their Carriers decide to strike before we get on our feet. And what about defensive capabilities available for construction?" Daimlon asked, eager to learn as much as he could.

"For now it is minimal, besides Jintsuu herself, you have about 2 flak batteries total, with a couple machine guns placed on rooftops of essential buildings." The Grand Admiral explained. "However, with time you can upgrade these defenses at the cost of resources. While you don't have any yet, the same goes for coastal Anti-Ship batteries, and even an Island based Airfield. As far as enemy Carriers, it is highly unlikely that any are in the area. I would not send you in with just Jintsuu if I had even the slightest feeling you could encounter enemy Battleships or Carriers, or even a number of Heavy Cruisers greater than two." He said.

"What about land based radar systems? Will we have those available to us at any time?" Daimlon questioned further.

"Eventually, yes, however it is incredibly expensive to build and maintain, so I advise you to take care when considering it's construction, it is not to be taken lightly." The Grand Admiral stated.

"Alright, what about resources available to us?" Daimlon asked.

"For now you have a steady trickle of resources coming from the Island itself, any extra resources will need to be found on expeditions. We are sending, along with you and Jintsuu, on your transport ship, a small shipment of resources to help kick start your operations. Do with these resources as you please." The Grand Admiral said. He scratched his beard intently as Admiral Daimlon continued his barrage of questions.

"Are we able to increase the rate at which we gather these resources from the island? What about our storage capacity, can it also be upgraded to hold more at one time?" Daimlon continued to drill.

"The answer is yes, but frankly, these are the types of questions that should be asked to the fairies that will be on the Island to assist you." The Grand Admiral said plainly.

"I see. Very well. I appreciate all the information, it was all valuable." Daimlon said, realizing he may have been a little overbearing with his questions.

"Anytime, young man, I just wasn't expecting a pop quiz from you!" The Grand Admiral laughed. "Now, It's 0840, your ship sets sail in twenty. Make sure everything you're taking is stowed safely and double check you're not leaving anything important behind. You too, Jintsuu." He said abruptly.

"O-Of course, sir." Jintsuu said.

"Don't worry about us. We'll be just fine." Admiral Daimlon assured.

"I'm going to worry about you anyway, I worry about everyone. I look forward to hearing from you for a status update. Keep me posted on important events." The Grand Admiral ordered, as he raised his hand in salute.

Both Jintsuu and Daimlon returned the salute. "I Will, sir, take care. I'll see you on the ship, Jintsuu." Daimlon said, immediately dropping his salute and bolting from the room. The Grand Admiral barely managed to shout 'You as well!' before the door closed. Jintsuu dropped her salute as well and turned back for the door.

"Take care of yourself Jintsuu. Make him proud to have you." The Grand Admiral said reassuringly.

"I'll do everything I can, sir. Thank you again. G-Goodbye." Jintsuu said, as she calmly walked out the door and gently closed the door behind her.

"Anytime young one... Anytime." The Grand Admiral said to himself.

Admiral Daimlon rushed over to the Officer's Quarters, and grabbed his shoulder bag containing all the important documents he was taking, as well as a large tablet to be used on the base itself. He double checked all his things were packed and started out the door. He strode down the docks toward the ship that would take him to his new home. He had always loved the sea.

The constant chirping of the seagulls overhead, the sound of waves smashing against the concrete docks, and the smell of salt thick in the air all told him he was already at home. He proceeded up the ramp of the small sized cargo ship, and immediately headed over to the bow of the ship. He leaned over the edge and looked across the blue horizon as the sound of the ship's horn pierced the air, signifying it was leaving port soon.

He reached into his shoulder bag and drew out his tablet and turned it on. He swept across its face until he was staring at the screen he desired. A profile on Jintsuu, complete with picture and all the necessary information he'd ever need to know, was glaring back at him.

_'So, she's shy and timid. Her posture screamed to me that she was nervous as all hell, and the way she shifted her weight from one leg to the other tells me she was uncomfortable. She had her hands behind her back, probably trying to work off nervous energy out of sight. Her handshake was weak, easily manipulated from my end, which tells me she's submissive. And when I placed my hand on her shoulder, she jolted, almost winced, which tells me she is probably intimidated by me. I can already see where this girl's problems begin, and I've just met her..._

_I'm not going to judge just yet though, She could quickly improve to normality, and her problems lie beyond. After all, If I were in her shoes, I would probably be more nervous than usual, only difference being I would know how to handle it. She clearly doesn't. Just gonna take it easy for now and continue taking notes.' _Daimlon observed to himself as he let off an internal sigh.

"This is already getting complicated." Daimlon muttered to himself. He swept down the profile looking for any information that could be useful. His efforts were in vain, the profile told him nothing that he didn't already know. After digging fruitlessly for several more minutes he gave up. He placed his tablet inside a custom made pouch on the inside of his outer jacket. It was against Navy regulation to alter your uniform in any way, but Daimlon didn't care. The practicality of having it far outweighed any consequences he might receive. He returned his gaze out toward the horizon as he felt the ship begin to churn and come alive. He took a long, deep breath of the sea salt as he contemplated his first moves at his base.


	2. A Place to Call My Own - Part One

It was early in the evening, roughly 1800. The sun was starting to hang low on the horizon as they continued to steam towards their destination. They had been on the water for about nine hours now. Admiral Daimlon spent most of those nine hours on the bridge, assisting on the ship wherever he could. In those nine hours he had seen many things, but there was also one thing he hadn't seen. He had never seen Jintsuu anywhere, and he was starting to wonder if she was even on the ship. After wrapping up his assistance to the captain, he headed out to try and find her, he wanted to discuss something with her anyway.

She was nowhere on the deck, and a quick check of the mess hall proved fruitless. He decided to check their quarters, as they were both assigned the same bunk room on the ship. He found her large bag of belongings in the corner of the room, but no Jintsuu. _'At least she made it on the ship.' _Daimlon thought to himself. Both bunks were empty, minus his shoulder bag laying on the bottom bunk. He decided to check the main cargo bay, maybe she was giving a hand over there.

After a thorough search, still with no Jintsuu, he became somewhat frustrated that she was this elusive. _'This better not become a habit of her's.' _He thought to himself as he continued towards the lower levels. It was dark, hot, and unbelievably humid in the lower levels thanks to the engines at work. The constant drone of the engines was rather loud, and Daimlon immediately began to wonder why he would even check down here. After spending some quality time with the ship's engines, Daimlon wiped the sweat from his brow and evacuated to the front half of the lower deck. The drone of the engine was fading to a tolerable level the further he got, and he could finally hear himself think again.

He pressed on in his epic quest to track down one girl in a small ship. while a good portion of humidity remained, most of the raw heat vanished, and it was rather dim. He stopped for a second to remove his Admiral's hat to vent it of heat, as well as brush any moisture off the top of his hair. When he put his hat back on he heard something. A soft rhythm of breathing. He turned around, and sure enough, Jintsuu was right there.

She was sitting against the wall, sleeping. Her head propped against a vertically running pipe, with another pipe on the other side of her. It formed a nice little pocket where she could sit while staying out of the way. He just took one long sigh of relief, if he hadn't stopped to remove his hat he would've walked right past her. He took two steps over to her, and looked at her. He almost didn't want to wake her up. He tapped her on the shin with his foot to wake her. "Jintsuu. Get up." He said sternly.

Initially, she stirred slowly. "Jintsuu. Wake up." He said slightly louder, giving her another tap on the shin, pushing against her leg slightly. She pried her eyes open slowly, and began to move a little. Daimlon crouched down in front of her and waved his hand in front of her face. After doing so she jolted awake, accompanied with a large inhale through her nose. She scrubbed her eye for a second before realizing who it was that woke her.

She immediately stiffened and backed further into her pocket. "A-Admiral, I, uh, I-" She stammered before being cut off.

"Why the hell are you sleeping down here?" Daimlon asked, still crouched down in front of her.

She starting playing with her fingers. "I, uh, was tired." She said.

"...And?" Daimlon asked, awaiting further explanation. "What made you decide to sleep here instead of in the bunk? How long have you been sleeping anyway?" He asked sternly.

"I.. The porthole.. Made it too bright in the bunk room... S-So I tried to find somewhere darker..." She explained softly. "What time is it?"

Daimlon pulled out his tablet from his jacket pocket, and glimmered it on for a second before turning the screen off. "1849." He said while he shoved his tablet back into his jacket.

"I.. I'm not sure, but.. I think a couple hours.. maybe?" Jintsuu said while re-positioning herself slightly.

Daimlon stood up, while maintaining his gaze on Jintsuu. "You know, where I come from, if someone offered you a place to sleep, it would be incredibly disrespectful to accept and then sleep elsewhere." He said, lying through his teeth. "I don't care if you sleep while it's still early, there's nothing for you to do yet. However, I do have a problem with you being disrespectful as a guest on this ship." Daimlon stated.

Jintsuu could only chin down before saying "I. I'm sorry. I'll be sure to sleep in the bunk from now on."

Daimlon allowed a few moments of silence to transpire. "Jintsuu, I have a very important rule I've kept to for most of my life. I want you, along with every other ship girl who will work with us, to adopt this same rule." He said calmly.

Jintsuu looked up at Daimlon. "W-What kind of rule?" She asked quietly.

"It's a rule of life. It is more than wise to always live by them. I am going to tell you the single most important one." He explained confidently. He took a brief pause before continuing. "The most important rule, is that everyone makes mistakes. However, everyone knows that, what's important is the second part... It is perfectly acceptable to make a mistake, no matter it's severity, so long as you learn and grow from it." He finished. Silence fell between them for several seconds. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" Daimlon asked.

"Yes." Jintsuu said softly.

"What does it mean?" He asked, making sure she was listening.

"It.. It means that as long as you have the right attitude... It's okay to make mistakes." She said.

"Good, so you were listening." Daimlon said as he extended a hand to Jintsuu. It took a second for the action to process, but Jintsuu grabbed on lightly, and he helped her onto her feet.

"Now, I had something I wanted to talk to you about." Daimlon stated.

"Wh-What is it?" Jintsuu asked. She placed her hands behind her back.

Daimlon hesitated for a moment. It didn't feel right. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him not to say what he intended. So he didn't. He frantically scrambled for an alternate topic to take it's place. He failed miserably. "...On second thought, It's not that important. If you're tired you should get back to sleep. We arrive at the base tomorrow morning, so I need you at one hundred percent." He said.

"O-Okay... I think I'll do that." She said. It was obvious that she was still incredibly tired.

"If you need me, I'll be on the bridge." He stated as he began to walk out of the room, and immediately started navigating his way to the bridge. _'I searched this ship for almost half an hour to talk to her, and I end up walking away empty handed simply because I wanted her to rest properly. I need to talk to her about it tomorrow morning, before we reach the base.' _Daimlon thought to himself as he progressed through the ship. He continued doing what he could in the bridge until the sun ran down, and slipped far below the horizon.

Daimlon was walking down the hallway leading to his bunk room. He pulled out his tablet to take note of the time. It glared brightly at him, reading 2113. He reached the door to his bunk room. Understanding Jintsuu was likely sleeping inside, he gently opened the door, trying to avoid making noise. The room was totally dark, but he could make out the silhouette of a body in the top bunk.

He plugged his tablet into an outlet on the empty side of the small room, and left it. He took off his shoes, and gently removed his jacket, still trying to avoid any unnecessary noise. He felt around for the coat hook that he knew was there, and placed his jacket on it. He untucked and unbuttoned his formal shirt, and placed it on the hook as well. Left with just his pants and a plain white T-shirt on, he crawled into the bottom bunk. Much to his disgust he found himself laying on his shoulder bag. He picked it up and placed it on the floor, and slid it underneath the bunk. Making himself comfortable, he shimmied his way beneath the thin sheets and flipped over to his side, facing the dark empty space of the room. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

A dreamless night transpired, and he lay awake, staring at the bottom of the bunk above him. It was still dark outside, but Daimlon was no longer tired, and he was itching to get started. Plus he had to piss. He threw the sheets off his body, and carefully stood up, just in case Jintsuu was still sleeping. The top bunk was empty. He walked over to the outlet and flickered his tablet on to get the time. 0521. The sun wasn't even up yet. He dug through his belongings, and began his morning routine.

Fresh uniform on his back, he placed his hat on his head. He checked the time, 0557. He started to walk up to the deck of the ship. The sun was just beginning to rise as he took his first steps on the deck of the ship. He saw Jintsuu leaning against the railing, holding her head in her hand, looking on at the impending sunrise. He walked over to her. "Sleep well?" He asked her.

She perked up and turned her head around towards him. After a quick glance she faced the horizon again. "I can't really complain." She responded softly.

"Would I be intruding if I were to join you?" He asked respectfully.

She paused for a second or two. "N-No, not at all." She said.

Daimlon took the final few steps toward the railing, just barely within arm's reach of Jintsuu. "When did you wake up?" He asked, gazing on at the blazing red sky in front of them.

"Several hours ago." She said. Silence fell between them for several moments. "How long until we get there?" Jintsuu asked softly.

"Hard to say for sure, but we should be docked within the hour." Daimlon said. Silence fell between them again. _'I need to lay on the pressure.'_ Daimlon thought to himself. His instincts resisted the idea, but not as strongly as the previous night.

"Jintsuu. I still need to talk to you about something." He said as he faced her.

Jintsuu looked at him. "W-What about?" She asked.

"It's about you... I'm sure you know where I'm going with this. I need to know why so many Admirals have dismissed you. I need to know why you've been put in the situation you're in." He explained sternly.

Jintsuu could only avert her eyes. She looked down to the waves below. After a long pause she finally responded. "I.. I don't know." She said.

"What the hell do you mean 'You don't know?'. You have to know something. Anything." He stressed.

She was clearly incredibly uncomfortable discussing this. "I don't know... They never explained why to me..." She said meekly.

It was clear to Daimlon that she was trying to brush off the subject. She had to know something. "Jintsuu, It's impossible you don't know anything. There has to be a reason, they wouldn't dismiss you without one. Your life hangs in the balance. Let me in, I'm trying to help you." He explained harshly.

"I told you, I don't know." She said, her voice was bold for the first time.

Silence fell for a few seconds. Daimlon crossed his arms, irritated he was being brushed off. "Fine. I get it, you don't want to talk about it, so I'll leave you alone." Daimlon said as he prepared to bring the hammer down. "However, in the interest of keeping you alive, I'm going to tell you what you need to do to keep it that way. I expect nothing but the best you can offer. I have zero tolerance for slackers or incompetence. If you want to stay alive I would suggest you bring me the results needed to keep the decision to scrap you at bay. This means obeying my orders without question, and carrying them out efficiently. It means being helpful in whatever way possible, as well as being respectful to myself, and your comrades. Finally, most importantly, failures of any kind are _completely_ unacceptable. If you cannot keep up with these requirements, there's nothing I can do for you. I will scrap you and find someone who can keep up with those demands." Daimlon finished. Jintsuu didn't move or respond, continuing to stare down at the waves below. "Understood?" He asked, somewhat harshly.

She continued to stare. "Y-Yes." She said softly. Her voice wavered as if she were fighting back tears.

"Good." Daimlon said. He started to walk away, but after taking several steps, stopped. "Another rule of life. When someone offers a helping hand, take it without hesitation." He said, and immediately began walking away again.

He went nowhere in particular, just wherever his feet took him. He wandered about the ship aimlessly until he decided to go back to the bunk room. He continuously thought about what he had just done. He pulled his shoulder bag from under the bunk and opened it, pulling a wad of papers out of it. He sifted through them, most of them typed up official orders he had been given by the Grand Admiral. He continued to sift until he arrived at the hand written letter that contained the Grand Admiral's personal orders regarding Jintsuu. 'Scrapping Jintsuu is to be a final solution to an impossible problem. I trust your judgement, but if at all possible, refrain from scrapping her.' Those were the key phrases that stood out to Daimlon.

He eventually decided to head towards the mess hall to get something to eat. As he grabbed his tray, he continued to pondered as to whether or not he did the right thing. _'Perhaps it would have been better to just see what happened, instead.' _He thought. _'It doesn't matter. What's done is done.' _He saw the Captain of the ship eating his own breakfast, and decided to join him. Daimlon worked with him all of yesterday, and liked him quite a bit.

"What's wrong there, sport? Looked like you had something on your mind while you were getting your grub." The ship's Captain asked, as Daimlon planted his tray of food in the seat in front of the Captain's. The Captain was an older man, younger than the Grand Admiral of the Pacific Fleet, but still at least twice Daimlon's age.

"Ah, nothing too bad. Just wondering if I messed up or not." He said, laying it flat.

"Hah! You're already better than most Admirals I've met, most of them think they can do no wrong!" The Captain said jokingly. "So what did you do?" He asked.

"In Layman's terms, one of my people is having having some trouble, and I'm trying to help. I may have laid the harsh reality of the matter on a little too hard. I'm worried it could affect their better judgement down the road." Daimlon explained as he took another bite of his food.

"Ah, that's a classic one. I've been in that situation plenty of times in my career. In my opinion, it's always better to lay it on too hard rather than not hard enough." He said. "But overall, it depends on how hard were, as well as the individual you talked to, everyone takes it differently. What's the individual you're referring to like?" The captain explained further, topping it off with a question.

"I know that. This one is... Shy. Timid. Has the look of a lost puppy in her eyes." Daimlon said.

"Oooh, that's not good. In my experience, shy and timid doesn't respond very well to harsh. They prefer to be cradled like babies, being told everything is going to be alright. They also tend to hold grudges more often than others. Definitely ease up on that one." The Captain said.

Daimlon took a deep breath as he weighed his options.

"I can tell you one thing about the shy and timid type, though. I can assure you that ninety percent of the time, their judgement is spot on, even under pressure." The Captain explained. "So don't worry about her judgement right now. Right now, if I were you, I would worry about her mental state." He said.

"I'm pretty sure I have an idea of what you're talking about, but what exactly do you mean?" Daimlon asked, seeking further clarification.

"Those types hide their true thoughts and feelings like a pirate hides their treasure. If you really want to help her, you need to find the treasure map. Only when you find the treasure will you be able to truly help her." The Captain said.

"I see." Daimlon said simply.

The sound of the ship's horn could be heard. They were about to reach their destination.

The Captain rushed to finish off his tray of food. "Well, duty calls, I need to guide this baby into harbor. Good luck with your friend, Don." The Captain said as he stood up.

Daimlon stood as well. "Thank you, I appreciate your advice, as well as your hospitality on this ship." He said.

The two men exchanged a firm shake of hands. "Don't worry about it, we were all clueless leaders at one point or another." The Captain joked as he dropped his tray off at the counter, and scrambled out the door.

_'Don't worry, I'm not exactly clueless.' _Daimlon thought to himself, as he sat back down to finish the remaining bits of his food.

Daimlon stood on the bow of the ship, shoulder bag hanging on his right shoulder, the Island right in front of him. The ship was quickly approaching the concrete arms of the harbor wall that bottle necked all ship traffic passing through. As the ship steamed past the concrete wall, it quickly expanded to a network of docks, easily capable of holding a dozen large ships. It was relatively small for a harbor, but it was still massive. Cranes lined the docks, but other than that the harbor was completely empty. There were multiple large buildings along the docks, but no visible foot traffic. It was like a ghost town.

The ship veered to the right, and made itself comfy, sliding into the dock. Daimlon eagerly walked over to the ramp that would be dropped to let him off. Daimlon soon found Jintsuu, her large bag in hand, in the same location, though neither of them said anything. He soon found himself stepping off the ship's ramp, and taking his first steps on his very own base. Jintsuu followed shortly behind. Daimlon observed a group of three fairies approaching to greet them. While they maintained bodily proportions, they were small, roughly the size of an orange, and floated at head level.

The middle fairy spoke first. "Are you Admiral Daimlon, along with the Light Cruiser, Jintsuu?" She asked, adjusting her glasses.

"Yes we are." Daimlon stated.

"Right. My name is Regina, Operations Fairy. To my right is Nonna, Lead Construction Fairy, and to my left is our Compass Fairy, Marie." She said, the two girls beside her each said a quick hello. "We're under your command as of now. We all look forward to working with you." Regina finished. Regina had short brown hair, her glasses clearly too large for her own face. Nonna had long free flowing black hair, and kept her appearance simple. Marie possessed long, twin tailed, blonde hair that was as long as her own body. She had a small purple wizard hat on. Daimlon decided it was better not to ask why.

"Nice to meet all of you. I want each of you to explain what your role is, and elaborate upon what you do." Daimlon said.

Regina spoke first. "My job, as Operations Fairy, is to manage all operations that fairies handle going on inside the base, such as manning base defenses, transporting resources from building to building, or even trivial matters such as cooking, or doing laundry." She explained professionally.

"Wait, Fairies handle all of that? Isn't that a little convenient? How many of you are there?" Daimlon questioned.

"Don't worry, the only ones you need to remember are us three, all the other fairies are just dummies with no free will of their own, they exist to follow our orders, and we exist to follow yours." She said. "We can continue to perform all of these tasks as long as we have enough fairies at our disposal to meet the demand. Of course ship girls such as Jintsuu can assist us in performing these tasks. In order to increase the number of Fairies at our disposal you'll have to upgrade the Fairy Quarters, which is rather expensive, but still much cheaper than enlisting humans." She finished, adjusting her glasses again.

"Okaay. And you?" He said, looking at Nonna.

"Lead Construction Fairy is fairly self explanatory, but I'll entertain you. My job is to manage all works of construction, be it constructing a new ship, or a new building on the base. I'm also responsible for repairing damaged ships, remodeling them, as well as upgrading existing base structures. As I'm sure you've already guessed, I also have fairies help me in these projects." Nonna explained. She seemed much more easy going than Regina.

"Alright, then I'm giving you my first order. I want you to construct some anti-ship batteries along the harbor wall." Daimlon ordered.

Nonna pulled out a clipboard, and wrote on it a little bit. After a short delay, a large menu floated in front of Daimlon's face. On it, he saw how many resources of each type the construction would take, as well as how long it would take to complete. Two hundred Ammunition and Steel, along with four hours. They only had a pool of eight hundred of each resource, including what was on the ship.

"Simply place your hand on the bottom right, and the order will be officially given." Nonna explained.

Daimlon took note of a box with a hand print in the middle of it, located in the bottom right. He hovered his hand over the hand print. It scanned for several seconds, and then the screen vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"What about scrapping equipment? Do you also handle that, Nonna?" Daimlon asked. Daimlon could feel the ripples of disturbance emanating from the girl standing several steps behind him.

"I sure do, why?" Nonna said.

"No reason. I also want to begin construction on a ship. Teach me how to do that." He said.

Nonna immediately began scribbling on her clipboard again before a screen, similar to the one he had just been staring at, appeared.

"You allocate resources to our construction building, and depending on how many resources you put in, you get a higher chance of getting a larger ship out. So putting in five hundred of each resource would give you a much greater chance at obtaining a larger ship as opposed to one hundred. However, there is no guarantee that you will get what you paid for. There is always the chance that you could end up getting a Destroyer for the cost of a Heavy Cruiser." She explained.

"So it's just a gamble... That's wonderful, I've always been great at gambling." Daimlon said sarcastically. He adjusted the resource counter to read five hundred of each resource, except Bauxite, which he put at three hundred. Nonna floated over next to him, hovering above his shoulder. She examined the display along with him.

"You just said you're bad at gambling, so you're going to go straight in and go big right off the bat?" She questioned.

"The Grand Admiral said there were a few Heavy Cruisers reported in the area. I need something that can easily stand up to one should we encounter them. If we encounter them without our own Heavy Cruisers it'll be fighting an uphill battle. I also hope that by leaving the Bauxite in we might be able to luck out and get a Light Carrier." He reasoned.

"Fair enough." She said.

Daimlon placed his hand in the confirmation box. However, after scanning, the screen did not dissipate as it had before. It swapped to a large timer instead. It read 5:00:00, and began counting down. After counting down for five seconds, it dissipated.

"Five hours? What are we getting, Do you know?" He asked Nonna.

"Not even we fairies know what it will be until it's finished. You put in a lot of resources. You could be lucky and get a Battleship, or you could fall flat and get a tugboat. Nobody knows." Nonna said sarcastically.

"Alright. Can I check the progress of it's construction whenever I want, and will you notify me before It's completed?" Daimlon asked.

"Yes, your tablet should already be synced to the base's systems. You can check the construction timer in your tablet in the construction section. From there you can also page me should you have any questions or requests for me. Also, you can page Regina from the Operations tab in your tablet should you need her. Finally, I will always notify you fifteen minutes before construction completes to give you ample time to head over to the Construction Yard to greet them." Nonna explained.

"Very well. Thank you Nonna." Daimlon said. "And finally, Marie, what do you do?" He asked.

"I don't do anything outside of fleet operations. I'm responsible for keeping track of the fleet's position and heading, as well as updating your Personal Battle Map. I relay information gathered by our ship girls to your PBM, and it displays a map of the area, as well as all ships in the vicinity. It allows you to get a bird's eye view on the battlefield to assist in making critical command decisions from your Operations room in the HQ. Other than relaying information to your PBM and offering navigational assistance, I do not interact with the girls in any way." She explained.

"Excellent, is that it?" Daimlon asked.

"That sums it up all right." Marie responded with a massive smile on her face.

"Then I have your first mission for you. Jintsuu." Daimlon said.

Jintsuu took a few steps forward. "Y-Yes, Admiral?" She asked. Marie floated over to Jintsuu, and hovered over her shoulder.

Daimlon turned to face her. "I want you to patrol the waters surrounding the base. You are to notify me if you see anything, and then engage any targets at your discretion unless I say otherwise. The goal is to keep them out of this harbor until those guns are finished. Understood?" Daimlon commanded.

"Yes." Jintsuu responded, as confidently as she could manage.

"Leave your bag, I'll have some fairies take it to your room. Now go." Daimlon said simply, without hesitation. Jintsuu immediately headed off to the staging area to prep her equipment and set sail, Marie still floating at her side.

Daimlon paused for several seconds. "Now, why don't you two take me on a tour of the base? show me where everything is." Daimlon said somewhat excitedly.

"With pleasure." Regina said. "We'll start off with the Construction Yard on the far right side, work our way to the left, and finish off at the Staging Area." She said as the three of them walked down the docks. It was then that Daimlon noticed that the construction of the guns was taking place. Fairies were already transporting steel to the concrete arms that served as a front door to the harbor. The Construction Yard had four large bays, one of the bays was closed, with fairies running resources into it through the back of the building. He also saw fairies unloading what resources the ship was carrying into the Storage Facility. The ghost town had spontaneously sprung to life as he gave his first set of orders.

Several minutes after leaving the ship's dock, as they were approaching the Construction Yard, he took note of Jintsuu leaving the Staging Area on the opposite side of the harbor. She quickly skated across the water, with guns sprawling up both arms, a catapult on her right arm, and torpedo launchers attached to her hip. Marie was keeping pace, hovering over her shoulder, probably feeding information to her as she went. He continued to watch her until she skated past the arms of the harbor, and out into the open ocean. She was on her own now, on her first mission under the command of Admiral Daimlon. He couldn't help but hope nothing would happen.

**Author's Note: This chapter ended up being far larger than I originally intended, so I decided to take the opportunity of a good stopping point to push out what I had, and break it up into two parts. In the next part we'll get to explore the base, along with it's many functions, and we'll have the opportunity to officially meet and welcome the new girl that will be added to Admiral Daimlon's roster. **

**Feel free to leave a review, detailing your thoughts so far. I have some questions posed for potential reviewers. Am I explaining the base's mechanics adequately enough? Is this information necessary or would you rather I leave it out? Most importantly, how is the pacing? As I sit at my desk and type away at it, the pacing seems... Odd. It doesn't quite sit right with me, so a reader's perspective would be much appreciated. Thanks guys, and I'll see you soon!**


	3. A Place to Call My Own - Part Two

Admiral Daimlon found himself staring at the large metal door to a very large building. He could hear within the sounds of welders sparking, hammers making contact with metal, and the loud whine of drills being pressed into steel. The Construction Yard looked like a series of large single room garages lined up, one next to the other. "When your ship is ready to be presented, this metal door will open, and you will be allowed to step inside to meet her." His right ear quirked as a sharp voice spoke into it. Making herself comfy on his right shoulder, Nonna continued to explain what the Construction Yard was, how it worked, and what he needed to do.

"I can assume that since there are four of these buildings that we can construct four at one time, right?" Daimlon questioned, as he quizzically looked at Nonna.

"That would a somewhat safe assumption, yes." Nonna answered. She swung her legs back and forth sitting atop his shoulder, like a child who couldn't sit still. "That's pretty much all there is to the Construction Yard. If you head left, the next building over will be our Supply Depot. Can you guess what it does?" She asked jokingly, a slight smirk on her face.

"Not in the slightest. Care to fill me in?" He said sarcastically, he took his first steps toward what looked, to him, like a large warehouse a good forty feet away. The drones of construction waned as he left the premises, and approached the front of the Supply Depot. It had a set of double doors up front, and no visible windows of any kind.

"This is where we store all of our resources until they are put to use. Whenever you place an order for anything that consumes resources, it comes from this building." His left ear picked up the familiar sound of Regina's voice. He looked over to find Regina sitting on his left shoulder, yet again adjusting her glasses. She sat professionally, and didn't appear to be as restless as Nonna was. "Go ahead and take a look inside." She said, eager to show her new Admiral her organizational skills.

Daimlon pulled the right side of the double doors open, and walked in. He found himself in a massive room with metal racking lining both sides of the wall, and identical racking running down the middle of the room. There was a large garage door, which was open at the moment, on the opposite wall. Most of the racks were bare, but in each corner of the room the racks bore a unique resource. Far left corner was Fuel, far right - Ammunition, close left - Steel, and close right - Bauxite. Each resource was stacked neatly, and fairies with hardhats too small for their own heads were flying in and out to gather resources and take them to their destination.

The supplies were smaller than life size, but still larger than the fairies themselves, so it took three fairies to transport one drum of fuel. They would then place the supplies on a large flat bed cart, which would then be wheeled over to make the delivery. If there was no cart available, the fairies would simply fly the item over to hand deliver it themselves. He couldn't help but be slightly impressed at how efficient it seemed for how impractical it sounded on paper. "Is there anything else I should know about the Supply Depot?" He asked, looking at Regina.

"Not really, the Supply Depot can be expanded, and it would be wise not to smoke in here. That's about it." Regina said, adjusting her glasses. "Head out the back door and I'll show you arguably the most important part of this base." She said, excitedly pointing towards the back wall. He did so, being careful not to get in the way of any fairies that were working in the area. He stepped out in the empty space behind the building. "Now turn left and keep walking." She commanded.

He immediately saw a small building conjoined to the Supply Depot. It had no doors on it, and wasn't insulated. He stepped inside, and found himself staring down a rather large set of equipment that lined the back wall. It looked almost like four large storage containers for fluids, congruent in size. They had tubes that looked like outlet pipes coming from each one, but there was no drain in the floor. They were each painted a different color. From left to right they were painted green, dark brown, silver, and a bright bronze. Daimlon just stared at it for several moments. "What the hell is it?" He asked.

"Just wait, you'll see." Nonna said. She was still kicking her legs back and forth like a child. He let out a sigh and started impatiently waiting. After a good ten seconds of down time, the dark brown cylinder began to produce an odd noise. It came alive with activity for several seconds, a couple pistons being driven up and down, and a few lights began to flicker. It sounded almost like someone was crushing a soda can, but fifty of them. It ceased all function, and after a short delay, the outlet pipe coughed up a shell of ammunition. It clanged loudly on the concrete a couple times before several fairies picked it up and took it to the Supply Depot that was right next door.

"Yeah, I have questions." Daimlon stated. "First of all, a shell was just plunked on the ground like a toy, isn't that just a little bit unsafe? I mean, shells like that are a little notorious for exploding. Second, How the hell does that work? What does it take to make those resources? Finally, can it be upgraded?" He asked, taking a deep breath as he finished his series of questions.

Nonna just tapped him on the neck to get his attention as she began to speak. "First, it's a resource. It is broken down into live ammunition, the resource itself is not a live round of ammunition and cannot explode. Example, the Staging Area requests more ammo, we ship it, it then breaks the resource Ammunition down into the particular shells and torpedoes necessary for a full restock." Nonna stood up on his shoulder and crossed her arms, taking an extra breath as she did. "Second, I would have to write an essay using words you've never even seen before to explain the process to you, just say it's fairy magic and call it a day. Third, of course it can. When you upgrade it, it will periodically spit out two shells instead of one, and continue to increase by one as you upgrade it. This applies for each generator, and each generator must be upgraded individually." As she finished, the silver cylinder began it's process, and promptly spat out an I-beam of steel, again it to clanged loudly on the concrete before it was retrieved. "Any more questions?" She asked, sitting back down on his shoulder.

Daimlon just tried to come to terms with the fact that he had to deal with 'Fairy Magic' on his base. "I suppose not." He said, still a little upset that there was something on his base he would never understand. He always loved knowing how things worked.

"Then that's it for the Resource Generators, on to the next building." Regina said, adjusting her glasses "The next building is the Repair Docks. I bet you can already guess what it does, and before you ask, yes, it can be upgraded." She said as she pointed at the building to their right, which was much smaller than the Supply Depot and Construction Yard. It was a small single story building made of wood, and had no windows.

He approached the front of the building, which had a wooden door that you had to slide open. "Admiral, it's important to note that this is the only building that is off limits for you. Nobody likes a peeping tom." Regina said. "For demonstration purposes we'll let you in this once, but after that you aren't allowed inside." She stressed.

"Why would I be off limits to a building in my own damn base?" He questioned, scowling a little at the thought of having red tape on his base.

"Just step inside." Regina said, a little frustrated that 'peeping tom' didn't make it blatantly obvious enough.

He slid the door open and walked in, surprised to be stepping on a wooden floor, and found the first room to be essentially a locker room, except with wooden shelving instead of lockers. It had shelves lining the walls with a bench running down the middle of the room. On the far end of the room was a doorway with only a curtain draping over it. He pressed on, brushing the curtain out of his way, and stepped into the second room. It was a small room with tiled floors, with three small tubs sitting side by side on both sides of the room, for a total of six. The tubs were only big enough to fit one person per tub.

"I understand now. So to repair they just take a soak?" Daimlon asked.

"Yeah that's pretty much it. They take a good eleven hour soak while we pump the necessary resources into the water, and with time they're repaired back to brand new. Each upgrade will add an additional two tubs, by the way." Nonna said, flicking her long black hair back with her hand as she finished. "Oh, one more thing, there are things called Repair Buckets that will instantly rejuvenate any damaged ship girl back to full health. They're exclusively found on expeditions, and are rather hard to find, so use them wisely." Nonna finished.

With no remaining questions, Daimlon walked through the first room, his shoes echoing loudly against the wooden floor. He stepped outside, sliding the door shut behind him. "What's next?" He asked, looking to his right to find a large building, similar to the Supply Depot glaring back.

"That would be the Mess Hall. That's where everyone gathers to eat their food, it also cannot be upgraded in any way. Other than that... Well, that's really it, honestly." Regina said, keeping it as simple as possible.

"I don't have any questions, but I would like to have a look inside." Daimlon said. He approached the large concrete building, and pushed through a set of large double doors. It revealed a stereotypical Mess Hall, on the far end of the room was where the food was served on trays, with large tables on both sides of the room, parting in the middle to make a 'hallway' of sorts. He observed the kitchen in the back, behind the counter, and noticed several fairies were already starting lunch. He wasn't sure what he expected to find other than what he did find, but he left somewhat dissatisfied with it. He pushed the large double doors open again, stepping out into the sunlight once more.

"Next up is the Crew Quarters. It contains all the rooms dedicated to housing the ship girls under your command. Each girl gets her own room, and is free to customize it as they wish. The Fairy Quarters is also located here." Regina said, adjusting her glasses as she spoke.

It was a large two story concrete building, with plenty of windows on both stories. It too had a heavy set of metal double doors guarding the entrance, which he promptly pushed open, revealing a hallway that stretched all the way to the end of the building. He took note of a stairwell to his left. Doors lined both sides of the hallway, and continued all the way to the end.

"I can assume the next floor is identical?" Daimlon asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"That's right. There are twenty rooms on each floor, and additional rooms will be needed to house more girls. Additional rooms can be implemented through upgrades." Nonna explained, kicking her legs once again.

"Alright, is this where I will sleep as well?" Daimlon asked

"No, you have your own personal quarters in the HQ." Nonna responded

Daimlon decided to take a stroll down the hallway, and immediately noticed that the first door on his right had a name tag on it. It read 'Jintsuu' on the label. He approached it, and quizzically looked at Nonna, making sure it was okay if he had a look. Nonna simply nodded in acknowledgement. He turned the knob, and stepped inside. It was a small room, a futon was spread out in the middle of the room, and behind the futon in the back corner was a table. It was too small for chairs to be used, so you would sit on the floor at the table. In the middle of the table sat Jintsuu's bag of belongings. There was a window just behind the table, and to the left of the table was an open door, letting him see the bathroom that lie beyond, complete with shower and everything. To his immediate right was a dresser, likely empty at the moment.

After satisfying his curiosity, he began to close the door again. "Where is this Fairy Quarters you spoke of?" Daimlon asked as he latched the door closed.

"Step outside, and turn right." Regina said.

He shoved the door open and hung a right. He wasn't expecting what he saw. He saw a small bird house hanging from the drain runoff pipe that ran just beyond the edge of the wall. "A bird house?" He asked, staring at it, rather confused.

Nonna immediately stood up and floated right in front of his face. "Hey, that's our home, show some respect!" She had her arms crossed with a small scowl on her face.

Daimlon raised his hands in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry, I just said the first thing that came to mind. So all fairies sleep here?" He asked.

Nonna took her seat on his shoulder again, her arms still crossed. "Yeah, that's right. As said before, if the demand for work gets too great you'll have to upgrade it to house more. Other than that, there's not much to it except lots of fairy magic." She said, still somewhat irritated at Daimlon's comment.

"Great, more fairy magic." Daimlon rolled his eyes, it bothered him to no end when he didn't get a proper explanation, but he knew he'd never understand this 'fairy magic'.

"Glad you love our magic, anyway, we're almost finished. Up next is the HQ, after that is the Staging Area, and we're done!" Regina said somewhat excitedly.

Daimlon trudged his way over to a somewhat small two story concrete building, with only a few windows on the second floor. It had a set of metal double doors, which he pushed open, and stepped inside a tiled room. It was a large open room, that was also completely empty. To his immediate right was a staircase leading up to the second floor. Regina hopped off his shoulder and flew around in front of him. "Follow me, I'll show you around the building. This first room is generic, you can make it what you want in time, but for now it's empty." She said, adjusting her glasses.

She flew up the stairwell, which led him to a small hallway that had a couple doors on the left. The wall on the right was lined with windows. She approached the first of two doors, Daimlon followed behind her, and opened the door. "This is your Personal Office, this is where you will be most of the time, managing the base, and doing paperwork." It was a mostly empty room, with the exception of a very large desk on the far end of the room, facing the door. There were windows on the back wall, and the wall to their left, giving a clear view of most of the base. The desk was empty other than a few papers neatly placed in the center, and there were no other points of interest other than a door to their right. Regina flew over to it and beckoned for him to come.

Daimlon adjusted the hat on his head, and walked over to the door, opening it as he arrived. He found himself staring at a spacious room with a large bed in the center, the head pressed against the wall. A small night stand on the right hand side, and a small window to the left. To his immediate right was another desk with a nightlight affixed to it. There was a closet shortly after the desk on the right, and slightly further down was the doorway to his personal bathroom. He liked it, both his office and his bedroom were rather nice looking, and didn't seem to be lacking anything of immediate concern.

"I don't think there needs to be any explanation here." Regina said.

"None at all." He said, with a sly smirk on his face

"Right, then the final room is the Battle Room. It contains your Personal Battle Map, as well as theater information, and reports of enemy ships in the area." Regina said, immediately flying out of the room, out of the office, and into the hallway.

Daimlon followed behind her, being quickly left behind as he had no intention of rushing through this. He arrived at the final door, and pushed it open. A large majority of the room was occupied by a large metal table that stood hip high in the right side of the room, it left plenty of room to be walked around on all sides. There were no windows in this room, and instead had a large bulletin board on the far wall. The wall on his left contained a map of the area, the floor space between the left wall and the Personal Battle Map left enough space to fit five people, and still have room to walk about. Mounted on the wall to his right was a dry erase board, complete with eraser and markers.

"Any questions?" Nonna asked.

"Just one. Teach me how to use this PBM." Daimlon said, walking over to it, placing his hand on the metal edge.

"It's easy, it's essentially just a touch screen map. Go ahead and poke it, Marie will get a request to broadcast the area, and she'll upload all information to it." Regina explained, adjusting her glasses.

Daimlon reached out and gave the center of the table a nice tap. The table came alive as the primary display turned on. There was a message on it. 'Establishing Link' It displayed this message for several seconds until finally a readable map was displayed. He could see a blue dot in the middle, he could also make out the opening to the harbor. The blue dot had a small arrow indicating heading, and had lettering above and below it, displaying 'CL' at the top, and 'Jintsuu' at the bottom. "The blue dot represents a friendly ship, in this case it would be Jintsuu. Any red dots will obviously be enemy." Regina explained.

The map was surprisingly easy to read, all land masses were accurately portrayed, with correct terrain make up such as trees and sand, as well as correct colorization. The ocean itself was a deep blue while friendly ships were a light blue. It had a standard grid reference, one grid square for every kilometer in distance. Jintsuu was approximately five kilometers offshore. "A-Admiral, can you hear me?" He heard a familiar voice call out, emanating from the table.

"Jintsuu? Is that you? Can you hear me?" Daimlon asked, unsure of what exactly what happening.

No response. "Admiral, you have to press the button to broadcast outgoing messages. You can press it twice to lock it in broadcast mode." Regina said, pointing out a button residing close to Daimlon's right hand.

He pressed the button twice and repeated his message. The button illuminated red to indicate he was broadcasting.

"Loud and clear." Jintsuu responded. He could faintly hear the water being churned up behind her as she went, traveling slowly across his screen.

"Excellent, anything to report?" He asked. He took hold of his map, interested in learning more about how it worked, and zoomed in on Jintsuu. After zooming in, he noticed a set of fainter lines appear within his grid squares, which he determined to be set for every one hundred meters.

"E-Everything is quiet so far... But I'll let you know if that changes." Jintsuu said softly.

"Alright." Daimlon said, he continued to look closely at his map, and zoomed out until he could see the entire Island. It turns out the Island wasn't too much bigger than the base itself. He decided to zoom in on the base, and could make out the individual buildings on the map. "I still need to see the rest of this base, and I don't want to sit here and distract you. I'll be in touch soon." He finished.

"O-Of course, See you when I get back." Jintsuu replied.

"Alright now teach me how to turn the damn thing off." He said, turning to Regina, pressing the button again after making sure Jintsuu caught the last thing he said. As expected the button's light turned off to signify he was no longer broadcasting.

"It's simple, just triple tap the center of the screen." Regina explained, flying back over to him before sitting on his left shoulder again. He leaned in and tapped it three times, after which a message popped up. 'Terminate Link?' It read, with a yes or no option below it. He went ahead and tapped the 'Yes' option.

_Ding! _The sound emanated from Nonna. All eyes were on her as she pulled out her clipboard. "Admiral. This is your fifteen minute notification that construction of a new ship will be complete soon." Nonna said, glaring into Daimlon's eyes as she did.

Daimlon raised a brow or two. _'It's been that long already? It feels like we just got here.' _He thought to himself. He checked the time on his tablet to make sure she wasn't mistaken. He was somewhat shocked to find that she was right, it had already been almost five hours. "I guess we should head over to the Construction Yard then." He said simply. Nonna smiled at him and nodded.

He walked out of the HQ, and briskly walked over to the other end of the base. As he approached the Construction Yard's large metal doors, he pulled out his tablet to check the time left before they opened. It should be any minute now. He felt ants crawling around in his pants as he impatiently waited. "Remind me to add a bench here, Nonna." He remarked jokingly.

"Of course, Admiral." She said, writing on her clipboard after a short delay. He continued to listen to the sounds of construction from within for what seemed like an hour. "Are you nervous?" Nonna asked, taking note of how he couldn't sit still

"If we're being honest, kind of, yes." He admitted. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Just take a deep breath. Also, so you aren't shocked, she's going to know everything but names. She'll know why she's here, what she needs to do, and what she's capable of." Nonna said reassuringly.

"Yeah, I know... This suspense is killing me. Go ahead and shorten the notification time to ten minutes for me, would ya?" He said.

"As you wish." Nonna scribbled on her clipboard a little more before putting it down.

The sounds of construction halted, causing Daimlon to perk up, providing full attention to the door in front of him. After a dreadful delay, he heard the door begin to open. It opened painfully slowly as it rose up, fitting against the ceiling as it went like a garage door.

Beyond the door was a large curtain. Daimlon brushed the curtain out of his way to walk into a pitch black room, he couldn't see a thing beyond basic shapes. He could see someone standing in the middle of the room. The lights flickered on brightly, revealing a small girl in the center of a platform.

"Hiya! Are you my admiral?" She asked cheerfully, a wide grin on her face.

He walked across the room, and stood in front of her. "Yes. My name is Admiral Daimlon, you may call me Don if you wish. Who are you?" He introduced himself as professionally as he could, hoping to make a nice impression.

"Alright Donnie, nice to meet ya!" She said excitedly, a smile still plastered on her face. She was short, and appeared to be rather young. Daimlon guessed she had to be in the realm of nine years old. She had short black hair that was done up in a bun with a bright yellow uniform on. "I.. uh.. Don't know who I am." She said playfully, that same smile still being worn.

"What do you mean you don't know who you are?" Daimlon questioned, seriously concerned at what she had just said. Both the fairies, clearly just as concerned, elevated off his shoulders.

"I don't know my name!" She said, placing her hands behind her head. The smile wasn't going anywhere either.

"Nonna, what's up with this?" Daimlon questioned. He looked at her for some sort of explanation.

"I'm.. Honestly not sure, there's never been a case where they didn't know their own identity. Can you tell us what class of ship you are?" Nonna explained, topping off with a question for the little girl before them.

"Nope!" The girl responded, removing her hands from behind her head.

"She should be able to at least tell us what she can do, right?" Regina asked, adjusting her glasses in a slightly frantic manner.

The girl bit her lip and held her hand up to her chin, clearly thinking about it. She immediately resumed her cheerful expression as she appeared to have figured it out. "I know! I latch on to ships and help guide them into harbor." She smiled the biggest smile Daimlon had ever seen.

A few moments of silence elapsed before Nonna began audibly cracking up, holding her hand up to her mouth to help keep it in. Daimlon was dumbstruck.

"So... You're a.. Tugboat." Daimlon said, still completely dumbstruck.

Nonna was now uncontrollably laughing. "If that's what you want to call it, then sure!" The little girl said cheerfully.

Daimlon simply face palmed. "You have to be kidding me." He muttered to himself.

Nonna was showing signs of difficulty breathing she was laughing so hard.

"I seriously thought you were joking about the whole tugboat thing." Daimlon said, completely let down.

It took Nonna a few seconds to respond, before she finally managed to catch a breath in between laughs. "I was!" She shouted. Her eyes were beginning to tear up.

The girl before them assumed a somewhat pitiful face. "Are you... Are you disappointed with me?" She asked. Her pitiful little face was somewhat cute, Daimlon had to admit.

"No, no, no, no." Daimlon said immediately. "We just need more firepower at the moment, we only have one ship. We're glad to have you, but your timing was... off." Daimlon explained, trying to patch the situation together. He plucked Nonna in the face lightly to get her to stop laughing. She stopped laughing, but was still cracking up a little bit.

"Okay. I trust you, you don't seem like someone who would lie." She said, smiling brilliantly.

"Oh man, my ribs are killing me. I thought you were kidding when you said you were bad at gambling. I've never even heard of a tugboat being constructed before." Nonna said, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

"Ah, shut it." Daimlon said to Nonna. "So, since you don't remember your name, what should we call you until you remember?" Daimlon asked her, crouching down to her level as he spoke.

The girl assumed her thinking pose for several seconds before letting out a long sigh. "I can't think of anything." She said.

"Alright, if you don't mind me giving you a temporary name, how does Lilith sound?" Daimlon asked.

Her eyes lit up like the night's sky. "I _love_ it! Just call me Lilly!" She exclaimed.

Daimlon smiled, and extended his hand for a handshake, still crouched down to her level. "Pleased to meet you, Lilly. Welcome aboard." Daimlon said.

Lilly immediately ran past his extended hand, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Daimlon could only feel his smile grow larger, and he wrapped his arms around the little girl.

"So, Donnie, who's the other ship here?" Lilly asked after they released their brief embrace.

"You'll like her, her name's Jintsuu. She's not here right now, but she'll be back soon." Daimlon reassured. "Come to think of it. Those guns have been finished for a while now. We could probably call her back now." He said.

"Admiral... About that. You should probably _sprint_ over to the map room. Jintsuu's in trouble." Regina said, an earpiece was affixed to her left ear.

"What? You're joking, right?" Daimlon said, standing up with a concerned face.

"No i'm not." Regina said, looking right at him with dead serious eyes.

"Shit." Daimlon said, immediately sprinting back to the HQ, both fairies kept up easily, but Lilly was struggling to keep up with him.

* * *

Jintsuu glanced at her wrist watch. _'It's been almost five hours now, the guns have been finished. Why am I still out here patrolling? Did he forget about me already? It doesn't matter. He told me to stay out here and I will.'_ She thought to herself as she continued to stream along her patrol route. Marie then spoke up "The Admiral is requesting a connection. I will return when he is finished." She said, before quickly soaring high above, and began writing on her clipboard.

"The blue dot represents a friendly ship, in this case it would be Jintsuu. Any red dots will obviously be enemy." Jintsuu's earpiece rang in her right ear. The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember who it belonged to. Several seconds of silence elapsed.

"A-Admiral, can you hear me?" She called out over the radio, somewhat nervous as to what was happening.

There was no response for several seconds.

"Jintsuu? Is that you? Can you hear me?" Daimlon asked, his voice was surprisingly clear considering she was equipped with only an earpiece.

"Loud and clear." Jintsuu responded, somewhat happy to have someone to talk to other than Marie.

"Excellent, anything to report?" He asked. Jintsuu couldn't help but note how serious he sounded.

"E-Everything is quiet so far... But I'll let you know if that changes." Jintsuu said softly. She made a sharp right as she reached the edge of her patrol route.

"Alright. I still need to see the rest of this base, and I don't want to sit here and distract you. I'll be in touch soon." He finished.

"O-Of course, See you when I get back." Jintsuu replied.

"Alright now teach me how to turn the damn thing off." He said, his voiced trailed off like he was walking away at the end.

_'He's so crude.'_ She thought to herself. Marie floated down from above and resumed her position above Jintsuu's left shoulder. Jintsuu then saw something black to her left off in the horizon. She decided to turn towards it to have a better look. Upon closer inspection she determined it was an Abyssal Destroyer. It immediately took note of Jintsuu, and began to run away.

"Don. Don, can you hear me?" Jintsuu called over her radio. There was no response.

"The connection has already been cut. He can't hear you." Marie said. She had to grip her wizard hat firmly to keep it from flying away.

"Alright, I'll try contacting the base then." She said. _'One Destroyer all by itself, immediately running at the sight of a lone enemy... Sounds like bait to me.' _Jintsuu thought to herself. She mounted her float plane on her catapult, and launched it skyward. It flew as high as it could, in front of the Destroyer's current path.

"Command, this is Jintsuu. I have located an enemy Destroyer, patch me through to Admiral Daimlon immediately." She called over the radio. Still nothing. She tried hailing command several more times, all fruitless attempts. "Oh, come on, work damn you." She said, frustrated that all attempts at communication failed. The scout plane arrived at it's position well above the enemy Destroyer, with no other ships sighted in the area.

"I could patch through to Regina, and have her relay a message to the Admiral. It'll take time, though." Marie said.

"Go ahead and do it. It's just a single Destroyer, but he still needs to know." Jintsuu said.

"Alright, I'll be back." Marie said, she peeled off and headed back in the direction of the harbor.

The enemy Destroyer was nearly in range. She figured she could fire a few shots to see if she could get it to weave left and right, allowing her to close the small gap in range.

_'Maybe it would've been nice to tell me where you're going?' _Jintsuu thought to herself. She resumed her focus. She fired off a few rounds in the Destroyer's direction. They splashed down near enough to induce the weaving she was hoping for. It was only a matter of time, but she had to keep up the sustained fire in order to keep it occupied. She continued firing off shots until she finally managed to get within range. Marie returned at that time.

"I have notified Command. They will notify Regina, and then the Admiral should head back to his map room. I also feel it's a good time to note that you are surrounded." Marie said, with a smile on her face.

"What!?" Jintsuu shouted. she immediately turned around. She saw five enemy Destroyers barreling in from behind. They were coming from the same direction the harbor was, she couldn't hope of breaking through to the harbor with those Destroyers on her all the way home, and there were too many to fight head on. Jintsuu then realized just how bad her situation was. The Destroyer in front of her began to turn around to engage her.

She immediately fired all her guns along the predicted path the Destroyer would take. With a couple near misses, none of the rounds hit home. She had to land at least a couple hits before it got into firing range. She fired another salvo, with a single hit as a result. The Destroyer was now in range, and opened fire. She darted to the left before firing another salvo. The Destroyer's round splashed up water a few feet to her right, missing by quite a margin.

Again, she only scored a single hit, but this round hit the rear of the Destroyer. It's engines were quickly losing power, and the Destroyer's rudder was jammed. Quickly realizing this, she darted out of it's line of fire. It had no turret to traverse it's gun across, so she was safe from return fire. She opened up again, approaching melee range. All but one round struck it's mark. The Destroyer burst into flames, it was fairly obvious that this one was sinking.

"Establishing connection." Marie said, as she floated up, high into the sky. Jintsuu continued to run away as fast as she could.

"Jintsuu, What's going on!?" Daimlon shouted between shortened breaths.

"I.. I messed up. What do I do!?" She said, the sound of fear prevalent in her voice. Even though she was running away at top speed, the enemy Destroyers were faster. If she waited too much longer they would be within firing range. If that happened, she stood little chance.

"You listen to me... Calm down, and just listen to what I tell you, okay?" Daimlon said, getting a grasp on the situation at hand. "Turn left slightly, you should see a small Island in front of you, right? I want you to head straight for that Island." He commanded, rather calmly.

Daimlon drummed his fingers on the table incessantly, as he stared on at the map before him. The blue dot that belonged to him was cut off from the harbor by five red dots that had 'DD' listed above them, they were in a line abreast formation, forming a solid wall between Jintsuu and the harbor. "Okay, I'm going there now." He heard Jintsuu say over the radio.

He nervously waited as he saw Jintsuu approach the Island. "Turn right, and hug the beach of the island. Loop it all the way around until you see the harbor, then make a break for it." He commanded. If he couldn't save Jintsuu, nothing short of a miracle could.

"Understood." She said, as he observed the blue dot hug the coast to the right. She traversed halfway down the length of the Island before the Destroyers showed up at the Island. They split their formation, sending three Destroyers left to cut Jintsuu off, while sending two to the right to continue pursuit. Just as Daimlon expected. He refrained from telling her for the moment. He waited for the three Destroyers to commit to going left, ensuring she couldn't be cut off again.

"Jintsuu, double back the way you came. You're going to encounter two enemy Destroyers. Ready your guns, and be prepared to evade torpedoes if necessary." He commanded. A drop of sweat began to run down his forehead, still drumming away on his table. His heart was pounding out of his chest.

Jintsuu made the turn as sharply as she could, and began training her guns on the water in front of her. She saw the two Destroyers rounding the corner, and immediately fired her salvo. A single hit on the Destroyer on the left. The Destroyers immediately returned fire, the first shot missing. The second round struck home, hitting her directly in the left shoulder. She passed between the two Destroyers, luckily they didn't have the time to ready their torpedoes. She shouted out in pain as she clutched her left shoulder tightly, a small chunk of flesh was missing after the explosion, and she was bleeding steadily from the wound. Her uniform had a large hole in the location she was hit. She increased her speed as much as she could.

Daimlon could hear her cries over the radio. "What happened? Are you okay?" He asked.

"I took a hit... But i'm fine.." Jintsuu said, she bit her lip, trying to hold back the pain. She soon approached the point where she could see the harbor off in the distance. She immediately broke from the beach and headed out to sea, still clutching her shoulder to help with the bleeding.

Daimlon observed from his command room as the three Destroyers doubled back as soon as she slipped past the two on her side. The Abyssals communicated rather quickly. The two Destroyers on her side turned sharply to continue the pursuit, however the left one impeded the progress of the turn due to damage.

While the three Destroyers weren't going to cut her off, they were going to be right on her in a few moments. "Jintsuu, fire a full salvo of torpedoes at bearing two-seven-four in a narrow fan at fast speed. Now!" Daimlon commanded. Even though he was commanding the situation, he felt as though he had little control over it.

Jintsuu immediately turned sharply to her right without changing heading, lined up with compass bearing two-seven-four, and fired all eight torpedoes, immediately returning to face the harbor in front of her. Daimlon took a deep breath as as he watched small torpedo icons traverse the map. Everything was going just as he had planned. while most of the torpedoes had little hope of hitting, it did force the group of Destroyers to break off and evade. They had no choice but to evade to their right, the opposite direction of Jintsuu, which essentially erased any chances of them catching up to Jintsuu in time. A single torpedo connected with one of the Destroyers.

However, while the group of three were out of the picture, there were still two Destroyers hot on her heels. They were still out of range, and would be for a few minutes. Daimlon thought about having her turn to fight, but then that would give the group of three a chance to catch up. "Just keep running, Jintsuu. Once you get inside the harbor guns' range you'll be safe." He said simply. That was it, there was nothing more he could do. All he could do was sit back and watch helplessly as the enemy Destroyers continued to close in.

Jintsuu came close to the harbor before the Destroyers finally reached firing range. Water splashed up around her, and she began to weave back and forth in an attempt to throw off their fire. _'Just a little bit... further.'_ She thought to herself. Just as she finished her thought, she felt a sharp pain on her back. An enemy shell had landed dead center on her back, inflicting a wound similar to the one on her shoulder. She let out a loud groan of pain, but quickly gritted her teeth to hold it back. She was just about within range of the guns, she could see the guns begin to take aim in anticipation.

Another round struck her. This time in the right foot, cutting her engine power in half. _'I'm so close... just a little..'_ She thought, as she began to overwork her left engine to help compensate. Unfortunately she couldn't continue to overwork it for long, and eventually her speed dropped. It was then that she saw the guns open fire on the Destroyers. She turned around and fired what guns she could at them, roughly half of them. Water splashed up all around the enemy Destroyers as both Jintsuu's guns and the harbor's guns impacted at the same time. None of the shells hit their target, however.

The Destroyers understood they couldn't stick around, and turned sharply to leave. They both fired their torpedoes as a parting gift, aiming directly at Jintsuu. The Destroyers turned back out of range of the harbor's guns, but also out of their own range of Jintsuu.

With only her left foot working properly, she quickly began to assess how to dodge the torpedoes. No matter what she thought of, she was eating at least one of them. She turned sharply to her right, and braced herself.

Daimlon felt his heart drop as he watched the red torpedo icons close in on the blue dot in front of him. The torpedo exploded, sending a shroud of water skyward. Jintsuu was completely dazed. She could feel her right foot losing buoyancy, and her ears rang loudly, washing out any sound. _'I can't... Not like this...'_ She thought. In her daze, she was struggling to maintain her balance.

"Lilly, move in, go get her. Don't let her sink." Daimlon commanded, he watched another blue dot leaving the harbor at a relatively slow speed. He immediately left the room and headed out to the docks.

Jintsuu lost consciousness, tumbling forward. She floated in a shroud of her own blood, face down, her right leg beginning to sink below. Lilly then left the entrance to the harbor, and quickly tried to turn her face up. After doing so, she latched on to the battered Jintsuu with a small hook assembly fixed onto her back, and slowly trawled her into harbor. Lilly took her up against the only ramp leading from the harbor to the base, just in front of the Supply Depot. Lilly dragged Jintsuu with all her might, but could barely move her an inch across the concrete. Several fairies moved in to assist her.

Daimlon looked on as he watched his newest girl and several fairies drag away a limp Jintsuu, leaving a trail of blood in the concrete as they took her to the repair docks. He felt a complex mixture of emotions that he couldn't quite explain. He felt like someone had just kicked the dog he had raised from birth. Marie then descended from the sky, and floated near Daimlon.

Daimlon immediately looked over to Nonna, who was still sitting on his right shoulder. "Open the ship construction panel." He said coldly. Nonna whipped out her clipboard and scribbled on it. Daimlon continued to allocate his remaining resources on the screen in front of him. Two hundred Steel, Fuel, and Ammunition. He confirmed it's construction. The timer began to count down from seven hours. Construction would finish shortly after sun down.

"Nonna, will she be alright?" He asked, his voice was suddenly an emotional wasteland.

"I'm not sure. I'll know soon, however." She responded. She sat perfectly still atop his shoulder with a grim look on her face.

"You're all dismissed. Nonna, as soon as you find out, I want you to tell me." He commanded, immediately walking back to the HQ.

Nonna hopped off his shoulder, and made her way over to the repair docks. Marie could only look at the trail of blood left in the concrete, visibly saddened.

.

.

Daimlon sat at his desk in his office, unable to think of anything other than what just happened. He held his chin in his hand, deep in thought. Nonna appeared in front of him in a puff of white smoke. "I just heard from the repair docks, she's going to be just fine. It will take five hours to repair her." She stated.

"Thank you. Have you gathered any information on how the hell she got into that situation?" He asked, glaring menacingly at her

"Apparently she was baited. She saw a single enemy Destroyer and decided to engage it. She attempted to contact you, but all communications attempts failed. She scouted the area ahead and found nothing. However, she failed to check her flanks, which was where the ambush was lying in wait." Nonna explained. She was uptight in the presence of this Daimlon she hadn't seen before.

Daimlon breathed heavily, thinking deeply. "Thank you. You're dismissed." He said. In a similar fashion to her entrance, Nonna made her exit.

He thought about what he should do. He had to make a choice right here, and stick with it. Either he was going to take the Captain's advice, and ease up on her, or he was going to go with his original plan, and be as harsh as he could be. He couldn't stop thinking about what he was going to say to her. The Captain's advice was solid, and he definitely wasn't wrong, but his gut screamed at him to be tougher on her.

Being the thinking man that he was, he spent the next several hours deliberating internally. He thought about the pros and cons of each approach. He tried to piece together as much about Jintsuu as he could based off what he knew, he also tried to logically explain why she was undesired. No matter how much he thought about these things he just didn't have enough information at his disposal to form a solid conclusion.

He leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh, and placed his hands behind his head, running his fingers through his hair as he stared at the ceiling. All he knew was that he never wanted to see the blood of one of his girls on that concrete ever again.


	4. A Slap on the Wrist

**Author's note: Hello everybody, there were a couple people who raised a concern over the appearance of an OC Shipgirl, Lilly, in the previous chapter. I wanted to go ahead and address this at the head of my new chapter as it may pertain to many of you. Some of you may be wondering 'Will we be seeing more OC ship girls?' No, Lilly is to be the only OC Ship girl in this story, her existence is merely to add a little comic relief, as well as a method for ship girls to get back home safely even in critical condition. **

**With that said, I would like to implore all of my readers to leave a review, or even drop a PM to me about your thoughts on the story. I would also like to thank all those that continue to review. Even if a couple lines, expressing you enjoy the story, it helps motivate me to write better. Thanks guys, and enjoy reading chapter four!**

Daimlon took a deep breath as he rested his pen on his desk. Before him stood a plethora of pages, all with notes scribbled all over them. He had spent roughly four hours by himself, deep in his own thoughts, keeping track of his thoughts by taking notes. These notes included possible reasons for Jintsuu's record of being dismissed, notes on the dissection of Jintsuu's known personality traits thus far and how they interacted with various subjects. He had notes on predicted behavioral and psychological responses to certain events. He examined the pros and cons of a harsh approach versus a delicate approach, drawing data from separate note sheets to try and form a conclusion as to which was the best option. The notes were lengthy, highly complex, and relied heavily on each other's data.

It was no use, there were simply too many unknowns to be able to draw any rock solid conclusions. He could come up with plenty of theories, but they were all too easily dismissed. As it stood, the dominant theory, in Daimlon's mind, related to her frequent dismissal. The most logical reason he could think of was that she was a poor fighter. The statistics of the previous mission, which Daimlon accumulated himself, supported this theory. However, Daimlon understood that he would need to send her on ten more missions to see if these results were consistent before confidently saying her results supported the argument. It would explain why her previous Admirals refused to tell the Grand Admiral anything, as they knew that telling him the truth would mean she would be scrapped. It would also explain her shy and timid nature, as she would have a natural lack of confidence in her own abilities.

Overall, it was a fairly solid theory that held plenty of water, but there was one gaping hole. She exhibited no lack of confidence in her own ability to fight, even in the thick of the worst situation she'd faced to date. She dove head first into the enemy several times without question. Even if she _was_ a poor fighter, the fact that she felt confident in her own ability to fight just about sank the entire theory on it's own. Confidence is one of the most powerful tools to a soldier. Confidence in one's ability to fight, in spite of being aware they were sub par, would heavily induce them to train continuously until they were no longer sub par. No one would dismiss a ship that trained every day, even if they were the worst ship in the Pacific Fleet. Thus, this would render the theory fundamentally flawed from the beginning, should she exhibit the desire to train.

He continued to examine his notes closely until he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." He said simply. Lilly poked her head through the door, and walked in with a tray of food, plus a drink, in her hands.

She walked over to the front of the desk, her eyes just barely peeking over the edge, hiding her nose. "Nonna told me to bring you some food since you haven't eaten anything." She placed the tray of food gently on the edge of Daimlon's desk. "Are you okay, Donnie?" She asked, she wore a face heavy with concern. Daimlon could only return her stare with weary eyes. He smiled the best he could, which wasn't much.

"Yes, I'll be fine. I just have a lot on my mind." He said, as he began collecting and neatly stacking all his notes in one pile. Lilly walked around to Daimlon's side of the desk, being nosy about what was on the pages.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing to the notes. Daimlon ignored her for the time being, neatly filing them away in a manila folder, and putting it away in his desk drawer.

"Just my thoughts on the situation at hand." He said with an empty tone. He turned to look at Lilly, now realizing her bright yellow uniform and skirt was still stained with blood. "I'm more concerned with how you're handling all this. You doin' okay?" He asked.

Lilly put on an enormous grin from ear to ear. "I'm doing okay. Besides, she's gonna be just fine, right?"

Daimlon pulled the tray close to him, and took a sip of his drink. "Yeah. That's right." He said simply. He set the cup down and turned back to Lilly. He was seriously concerned that she was bottling her feelings and hiding them.

"I'm going to go back to helping Nonna!" Lilly said, immediately scampering over to the door.

"Lilly. Thanks for the food. If you need anything you know where to find me, and make sure you get cleaned up." Daimlon said as sincerely as he could. He smiled at her. Lilly simply smiled and nodded back at Daimlon before scrambling out the door.

He began to poke away at his food, returning to his thinking mode while he ate. _'I simply don't know enough about her. I need to think of a way to find out more about her, I need to know as much as possible, and in a short of amount of time as well.' _He thought to himself, reaching for his drink to wash it down. _'Perhaps I could instate a secretary ship sooner than necessary in order to do so... however, it won't tell me much more than I already know. Not to mention she isn't cut out for the position, she's too submissive for it.' _He crammed some more food into his mouth as he continued his train of thought. He continued to think of more and more methods while he ate, but each method he thought of left much to be desired in one way or another.

_'...I could... force her to take a series of aptitude tests. Difficult ones that would strain her ability. In order to strain her mental state I could impose on her the idea that scoring too low would result in the decision to have her scrapped. It would tell me a lot about her performance under pressure, as well as more about her personality in extreme conditions. I could even involve a couple that tested her ability to work with others, the new ship under construction now would enable that option easily.' _Daimlon finished his food, wiping his mouth with a napkin, he set his utensils down and continued his thoughts. _'I could manipulate these tests in many ways, and as a result obtain whichever type of information I needed. Psychological, Physical, Emotional, and Intellectual strengths and weaknesses could all be assessed. The options are limitless.'_ He grinned slyly as he reached his decision. _'Hell, I could even put the decision of harsh versus delicate on the sidelines until I gather enough from these tests. For now I can just play a nice middle ground.' _It was decided for Daimlon, there was little that tests couldn't provide, now he just needed to decide on a schedule detailing the tests.

He reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew his tablet. He glimmered the screen on and navigated to the construction tab, and paged Nonna. After a small five second delay, Nonna appeared in a puff of white smoke. "What do you need, Admiral?" She asked, she was still rather uptight compared to before.

"First off, thanks for the food. Second, When is Jintsuu's repair going to be finished?" He asked as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"There's been a delay, it'll take an extra hour to repair her. You can check the exact time in your tablet." She explained formally, she had her hands behind her back properly, with her chin up, and spoke clearly.

He navigated in his tablet blindly until he found a 'Repairs' button, pressing it, he observed that Jintsuu would be repaired in exactly one hour, seven minutes and twenty seven seconds. "Good. I want you to send her to speak with me immediately after she is finished being repaired." He said in a commanding fashion. "I also want you to send a couple fairies to deliver a chair to be placed in front of my desk, as well as to retrieve this tray and return it to where it belongs."

"Understood, sir. Open your window to allow them easy access, and they'll be here shortly... What are you going to do about Jintsuu?" She asked, obviously concerned that Daimlon was going to go overboard in his punishment.

Daimlon immediately stood up and opened his window, quickly returning to his seat. He placed his elbows on his desk, and interwove his fingers. "Let's just say I'm... Putting her under the microscope." He said simply.

Nonna couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy at his response, especially since he left it as vague as possible. "Very well. Will that be all, sir?" She asked.

"That is all for now. However, within the next day we must hold an important discussion. I'll keep in touch. Until then, you are dismissed." Daimlon said. Releasing his interwoven fingers, he immediately reached for a blank sheet of paper, placing it on his desk.

Nonna gave a sharp salute. "Yes sir." She said. Daimlon returned the salute, and Nonna dissipated in her white puff of smoke.

* * *

Jintsuu stirred slowly as she started to regain consciousness. She found herself in a small bathroom, submerged inside a bath tub. There were five other tubs, but they were all empty. The water was incredibly hot, barely tolerable, and the air was thick with steam. Jintsuu then recalled what had happened. '_I'm... Alive?' _She thought to herself as she remembered her condition just prior to blacking out. She touched her shoulder and examined it, only to find a small mark remained from what was once an open wound.

"Glad to see you're finally awake." She heard a voice emanating from her left. Looking over, she saw Nonna hovering to her left. She had a clipboard in her hand and was jotting something down on it as she spoke.

"Wh-What happened? I thought I... Died." She asked, submerging herself deeper in the water.

"You would have, if it weren't for our newest addition to the fleet." Nonna said seriously, as she put her clipboard down.

"Nonna! I finished changing like you told me to!" A voice in the other room shouted

Suddenly, the curtain to the room flew open, and a small girl came scampering through. Her face lit up brightly as she saw Jintsuu awake. "She was the one that saved you. This is our newest ship, her name is Lilly." Nonna explained professionally.

"Jintsuu! I'm so glad you're awake!" She exclaimed as she hurried over to the edge of the tub, crouching down next to Jintsuu. Her smile was enormous.

Jintsuu was left feeling a little uncomfortable at how close she was getting. Jintsuu smiled gently to try and brush aside the discomfort. "Pleased to meet you, Lilly." She said. "How did you manage to do it, though?" Jintsuu asked as she looked quizzically at Lilly.

"I latched on to you with my towing cable and dragged you through the harbor after you passed out!" Lilly said cheerfully, still wearing that smile of hers.

"...What?" Jintsuu asked, she had never heard of a ship that had a towing cable before.

"She is a tugboat." Nonna explained simply.

"I've never heard of a tugb-" Jintsuu said gently, before being cut off.

"Don't worry, we haven't either. She's a complete mystery at the moment, but her timing couldn't have been better." Nonna said, she picked her clipboard back up and began scribbling on it again. "There we are, repairs are complete, you're free to get out now." She said. Jintsuu examined the mark on her shoulder again, only to find that it was gone, her shoulder looked as if nothing had ever happened.

She hesitated to get out at first. "Uh.. W-Would you mind?" Jintsuu asked, referring to the fact that she was naked.

"Relax, It's nothing we haven't seen before. Besides, I need to do a quick examination to make sure you were repaired properly." Nonna explained, as she lowered her clipboard.

"W-What do you mean it's nothing you-" Jintsuu said softly, before once again being cut off.

"Who do you think took off your clothes before you were put in the tub, silly!" Lilly explained jubilantly as she took several steps back to give Jintsuu some space to get out.

"The towels are over there, but I need to have a look before you put one on." Nonna said, as she pointed to a rack full of towels on the right side of the room.

Jintsuu hesitated for several seconds. She took a deep breath and stepped out, covering herself with her arms the best she could.

"Shoulder wound, check. Foot seems to have repaired fully, appears to be functioning properly. Turn around, let me see your back." Nonna said, scribbling on her clipboard a little after each check. Jintsuu turned around, showing Nonna her back. "Back seems to have healed just fine as well. All done, go ahead and put a towel on." Nonna scribbled on her clipboard some more.

Jintsuu promptly donned a towel, grabbing a second one to dry her hair. Her hair already began to assume her signature bangs as it dried. "You can find a fresh set of clothes in the room adjacent to this one after you've dried off. For now, have a seat on the bench in the room." Nonna said as she floated past the curtain. Jintsuu followed behind her, her wet feet pattered on the tile as she went. She brushed the curtain aside and stepped on the wooden flooring, having a seat on the bench. Nonna floated over to her right foot.

"Make a circle with your ankle." Nonna said. Jintsuu did as instructed, while Nonna eyed it down. "Does it hurt at all?" She asked.

"No, it feels fine." Jintsuu said.

Nonna immediately scribbled on her clipboard again. _'How much can she write down on one page?'_ Jintsuu thought to herself as Nonna floated up to her left shoulder. "Good, now make a full circle with your shoulder, stretch it as far as you can." She instructed. Jintsuu began to move her shoulder, and stretched it thoroughly. "Does it hurt?" Nonna asked.

"Not at all." Jintsuu said.

"Alright, stretch your back now, tell me how it feels." Nonna said, as she began to scribble away at her clipboard. Jintsuu stood up and began working her way through the full range of motions involving her back. It took longer than any of the others, but she understood why these checks were important.

"Feels good to me." Jintsuu said, sitting back down.

Nonna scribbled some more on her clipboard. "Excellent, all checks are complete and you seem fine. Go ahead and get dressed. Admiral Daimlon has requested you see him in his office immediately." Nonna explained. Jintsuu shattered like a pane of glass, she had completely forgotten about Daimlon.

"...Understood." She said meekly. _'Now I kind of wish I had sank...'_ She thought to herself.

Nonna flew over to the door and slid it open. "Jintsuu. For what it's worth, I'm glad you're okay." Nonna said, immediately afterward sliding the door shut behind her. Jintsuu looked over to her right to see Lilly standing there.

"Here are your clothes." Lilly said, grinning ear to ear. She had her hands extended out toward Jintsuu, in them was a pile of neatly folded clothes.

"Thanks." Jintsuu said as she took them. She felt much more comfortable than she had previously, and had no difficulty getting dressed while Lilly was still in the room.

"You know, Donnie was pretty upset when you got hurt." Lilly said, still grinning. "He hasn't left his office for over five hours." She continued, taking a seat near Jintsuu, looking up at her.

"Five hours? What was he doing for that long?" Jintsuu asked as she clasped her bra on.

"He just told me that he had a lot on his mind. He told me he was doing fine, but he seemed really tense." Lilly said. She kicked her feet back and forth as she sat on the bench.

Jintsuu didn't say anything in response, she just continued to put her clothes on.

Lilly looked at her, slightly concerned. "Are you okay?" Lilly asked.

Jintsuu just looked back at her with a weak smile. "Yes, I'm fine." Jintsuu said, lying the best she could. Truth was, she was terrified.

Lilly just crossed her arms and pouted slightly. Though she chose not to say anything, she knew that Jintsuu was anything but fine.

Jintsuu's heart felt heavy, and she was already beginning to feel nervous. _'five hours to think about what he's going to do with me...'_ She thought to herself. She then recalled what Daimlon had told her on the cargo ship. _'Failures of any kind are_ _**completely** unacceptable.'_ His words echoed in her head. She pulled her shin high socks up, and walked over to a full body mirror that hung by the door. She made herself look as presentable as she could. She examined the shelving until she found one that had a label that read 'Jintsuu' on it. She found her shoes and grabbed them. _'I hope this isn't the end of me... I would rather die to the Abyssals than be scrapped.' _She thought to herself as she secured her shoes on her feet. She was ready to go.

"Lilly, can you show me where Don's office is? I don't know my way around here." Jintsuu asked with a forced smile on her face.

"I sure can, follow me." Lilly said as she slid the door open and bolted. Jintsuu followed behind her, making sure to shut the door behind her. The base was barely lit up, the sun had already dipped below the horizon, only faint smudges of orange and red were seen on the horizon line, and the stars were beginning to make their presence known. She followed Lilly through the base until she stepped inside a building that had large double doors. Jintsuu followed her inside the building, stepping inside an empty room.

"Just take the stairs to your right, and he's the first door on your left." She said, smiling brightly.

"Thank you." Jintsuu said gently as she began to take her first steps toward the stairs.

"Good luck!" She said as she scrambled back out the door.

She slowly walked up the steps. Her heart grew heavier and heavier with each step, beating faster and faster. She noticed a wooden door immediately to her left as she topped the stairs.

Approaching the door, she swallowed the lump in her throat and knocked.

"Come in." She heard Daimlon call from within.

Jintsuu turned the knob of the door, and entered the room. She saw Daimlon sitting at his desk, a scowl written across his face, fingers interwoven as he waited. "Have a seat." He commanded.

Jintsuu immediately regretted walking through that door. Daimlon was definitely in a bad mood. She wordlessly shuffled over to the chair placed in front of Daimlon's desk, and had a seat. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room, a silence filled with tension. He just stared her down for a while, Jintsuu couldn't bear to look him in the eye.

"What did I tell you when we were making our way to this base?" He asked without moving a muscle.

Jintsuu, still averting his gaze, spoke softly. "Failures are unacceptable." She said. She clutched her elbows with her hands as she sat.

"That's right... While you did not fail the primary objective I gave you, keeping them out of the harbor until the guns were finished, you did fail to keep yourself safe while doing so. Why? Explain to me what happened." He said, still not moving a muscle. He was still staring at her, his face chiseled in stone as a firm scowl.

"I... I-uh.. Saw an enemy Destroyer... I tried radioing you, like you said to.. But, I got no response. I tried.. I tried hailing command, still with no luck." Her eyes shifted from left to right, looking down to avoid looking him in the eye. Her fingers tapped on her elbows nervously. "I- I used the discretion of engagement you gave me to stay close... Marie tried establishing communications... I.. I scouted the area ahead with my float plane thinking it was bait, but found nothing... So I moved in, and when Marie returned, I was surrounded." Jintsuu finished. She managed to glance up at the eyes that were staring daggers at her, but she couldn't bear to maintain it.

"Do you know what you did wrong?" He asked.

"I... I failed to scout for an attack from the rear... I assumed too much." She said meekly. Her eyes stopped darting all over the room, though they still gazed upon the floor, as she admitted her failure.

Daimlon took a deep breath through his nose. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "While much of the blame does rest on your shoulders, Jintsuu, the fact remains that there was a critical communications breakdown beyond your control. The situation could have been avoided entirely if we had proper communications. I have Regina looking into what happened, she is also ensuring it never happens again." Daimlon paused briefly, seeming to sort his thoughts before he continued.

"However, it cannot be ignored that your performance was borderline pitiful. You had a shell hit rate of approximately twelve percent, along with the fact that you made a complete rookie mistake by neglecting your flanks and rear. This is completely unacceptable." He said. Jintsuu clutched her arms tighter as she continued listening. Daimlon paused for a moment or two before continuing. "As a result, your abilities will be assessed through a series of tests. Depending on the results of these tests, it could induce any decisions I make, including having you scrapped should you score too low." He said powerfully.

Jintsuu's heart sank, but she tried her best to hide it. "W-What kind of tests?" She asked softly.

"That remains to be seen, but you can expect to be asked to hit wooden targets, dodge practice torpedoes, and shoot down practice aircraft. You might even have to navigate a small course while being timed." He said, he took a moment of silence before continuing. "I will now run the first test. Count backwards starting from ninety eight down to eighty. Go." He sat up in his chair, and readjusted his position, awaiting for her to begin.

_'Why would he have me count backwards? What kind of ridiculous test is this?' _Jintsuu thought to herself. "N-Ninety eight. Nin-Ninety nin- seven..." She began to count backwards from ninety eight, stammering over the beginning as she gained her footing, and slipped up in transitioning from the nineties to the eighties, but was otherwise rather solid.

_'Not bad.' _Daimlon thought to himself as he listened to her count backwards.

After she finished there were several seconds of silence. Daimlon simply raised a pen to a sheet of paper on his desk and wrote something down. Jintsuu was too far to make out what it said. "Nicely done." He said simply, putting his pen down on his desk. The words on his page read 'Well above average response to unfamiliarity.'

"Wh..Why did you have me... Count backwards?" She asked nervously.

Daimlon took a deep breath through his nose. "It tested your ability to cope with an unfamiliar situation. When was the last time someone asked you to do that?" He said confidently, as he began to explain it to her.

"Never." She said simply.

"Exactly. Your brain isn't used to counting backwards. Therefore, it is significantly more difficult to do because you have to think about it while maintaining a quick and fluent speech pattern. Most everyone messes up, but the faster and clearer you count backwards, the better. It tells me how well you can respond to unfamiliar conditions, as well as providing insight to general intelligence levels. You did rather well." He said.

The dots connected in Jintsuu's head and she realized just how much a ten second test can tell about someone, as well as the significance of what it tells. She was, frankly, somewhat blown away by it. _'That's... Impressive. Where did he learn that from?' _Jintsuu thought to herself. She always knew that Daimlon was intelligent, but she was now beginning to realize that the Admiral that sat before her was more than just your regular 'intelligent'.

"Congratulations, you have passed your first test. I will be conducting tests for a solid week, starting the day after tomorrow. I would suggest you practice if you feel the need to brush up on your skills." Daimlon said proudly as he placed his hands on his desk, interlocking his fingers again. "With that said, I am removing you from sortie-ready status to prevent this from happening again until you are assessed. You will go on expeditions, but you will not see combat sorties again until it is deemed safe to put you back on ready status." He finished.

Being taken off sortie-ready status was always among the first steps toward being dismissed, and she could clearly see the dark shadow of being scrapped looming over her. She felt fear strike deep into her, as no other Admiral had ever run tests on her like this before. What scared her most, however, was the thought that Daimlon would get confirmation that she is almost useless in a fight. _'I just have to do whatever I can, and give it my best.'_ She thought, trying to reassure herself.

"Do you have any questions for me?" Daimlon asked as he readjusted himself in his seat.

Jintsuu thought of possible questions for several seconds. "H-How difficult will these tests be?" She asked, she clutched her hands tightly together, placing them under her chin, her arms pressed against her chest.

Daimlon continued to stare at her for several moments. "Difficult. Your abilities will be strained beyond your limit. I expect decent results." He said heavily.

Jintsuu couldn't help but feel like she was going to get washed up with these tests. She couldn't shake the dark cloud looming over her. "A-Admiral. I have a request." Jintsuu said. She clenched her arms tightly as she spoke.

"Go ahead." Daimlon said as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"If.. If you decide to scrap me.. Or decide i am 'unfit'. I would like to be sent on a suicide mission... Against the Abyssals instead of being scrapped." She said, it pained her greatly to say what she had, and Daimlon could see it.

A long silence elapsed, as Daimlon gave some thought into her request. _'So... Perhaps she isn't confident in her own ability after all... I've only run one test and it's already given me plenty of new information... This next week should be rather fruitful...' _He thought to himself, somewhat disappointed that he was wrong about her, but greatly intrigued as to what was waiting to be discovered.

"Admiral, please. Being scrapped is to endure torture for many hours while you're picked apart piece by piece, it is incredibly painful. I would rather die fighting." Jintsuu said strongly.

_'This is exactly what I wanted. It was always fairly easy to read her, but now I can read her more easily than ever before. She's scared. She's scared she won't perform and will be scrapped.'_ Daimlon had to hide the sly grin that was growing on his face by sitting up and placing his interlocked fingers over his mouth. _'She's not confident she'll be able to pass, and it's worming into her head and weighing her down. She has such a lack of confidence in herself that she's prematurely negotiating the terms of her own removal... If I were to take a guess, it's this confidence problem that's the root of most of her issues. However, I can't see a simple confidence issue being reason for her constant dismissal.' _Daimlon had to break his train of thought, after all, he could think about it all he wanted after she was gone.

"I see no issues with the request, however, I will not make the decision now. I will make it should the decision be made to get rid of you." Daimlon said as he lowered his hands, ensuring he was as stone faced as possible.

"...I..I understand." Jintsuu said softly, she rested her hands on her lap, somewhat disappointed.

"Any other questions or concerns for me?" He asked, not moving a muscle.

Before Jintsuu could even hope to respond, Nonna burst into the room in the fairies' signature white puff of smoke. She hesitated slightly before speaking. "I hope I'm not interrupting." She said.

"No, actually we were just wrapping up. What's up?" Daimlon said calmly.

Nonna examined her clipboard for a moment. "Pardon the intrusion, regardless. A construction project of a new ship will be finished in ten minutes." She said clearly. She was still more uptight than she was before the incident, but she was slowly easing up as time went on.

Daimlon smiled slightly. "Well, let's all go meet her then... You too, Jintsuu." He spoke loudly as he rose out of his seat.

"A-Alright." Jintsuu said. She was actually rather eager to meet another face.

The three of them casually made their way over to the Construction Yard. It was dark out, and the sun had completely disappeared, but the base's lights lit everything clearly. They arrived at the Construction Yard, and Daimlon, being the impatient man he was, checked the timer for construction.

"Only three more minutes. Now we just need to work on that bench." He said as he turned to Nonna.

"Of course. I'll have it installed tomorrow." She said. Silence fell between the three for a while.

Daimlon continued to wait impatiently until he noticed that Jintsuu was a short distance away, staring intently at the stars above her. Daimlon then noticed that the stars and moon were out in full tonight, and shone brightly. The moon could almost illuminate the base by itself. Along with the sea, Daimlon always loved looking up at the night's sky. "Are you a star gazer?" Daimlon asked, taking a position next to her, looking up at the sky as well. She seemed to be startled by the question, like she was caught doing something she wasn't supposed to.

"U-Uh, well, not really. I-I just like to... Admire it's beauty." She said softly. She seemed to regain her comfort relatively quickly, and continued staring up.

"I see." He said, continuing to stare upwards. With little light pollution in the local area, the night sky was unlike anything he had seen until now. He could clearly see what appeared to be colossal clouds illuminated in space, he assumed they were various nebulae belonging to Earth's local super cluster. Regardless of what they actually were, he was completely taken aback at the sheer beauty of that sky.

Until the sounds of construction ceased, causing him to immediately break his gaze from the stars. He began to walk up to the large door to the Construction Yard. Jintsuu mimicked this action after a short delay. He could see that Nonna was still oddly uptight, and he frankly didn't like that his behavior caused a change in her attitude.

"Here we go. Let's hope it's not another tugboat." Daimlon said jokingly, trying to get Nonna to ease up a little.

"No, this time you're just gonna find a way to build a transport ship." She remarked with a sly smile.

The large doors began to open, and Daimlon found himself staring at the same curtain he was facing just prior to meeting Lilly. The three of them brushed past the large curtain into the dark room.

The room lit up, just like it had with Lilly, revealing a girl with long, free flowing, black hair, similar to Nonna's. Her stone cold eyes appeared to be a light blue, and shone rather brightly. She wore a white button up shirt with a dark skirt. She also had independent black sleeves that didn't quite meet the sleeves of her white shirt, and black knee high socks. She stood tall, and had a mostly blank look on her face, with a slight scowl, clearly judging the people before her. Daimlon could immediately tell that this girl had her shit together, and was ready for action.

Understanding he was under intense scrutiny from the girl before him, He put on his authoritative face and posture, puffing his chest out a little, and slightly raising his broad shoulders. Daimlon took on a very serious face, and briskly walked over to the small girl while he maintained eye contact with her, Jintsuu and Nonna following shortly behind. The girl just continued to stare them down as they walked over to her, no words were spoken at first.

When Daimlon was within arms' reach, he stopped. She stood shoulder high on Daimlon, and he found himself looking down his own nose at the girl. The two continued to stare into each other's eyes, both of them sizing the other up for several seconds.

The girl spoke first.

"My name is Asashio, name ship of the Asashio-Class Destroyers. I assume you are my Admiral?" She spoke loudly, her eyes were unwavering, and her expression was that of stone.

Daimlon and Asashio continued to size each other up in silence. Daimlon allowed a somewhat extended period of silence to expire. _'She's strong...'_ Daimlon observed to himself as he continued to stare deeply into her eyes. The two were almost having a boxing match with their eyes, and neither was willing to back down. _'She's probably testing me...'_ He thought. He finally began to speak.

"That would be correct. My name is Admiral Daimlon. Behind me is our Construction Fairy, Nonna. As well as our only Light Cruiser, Jintsuu of the Sendai-Class." He said loudly, making sure to maintain eye contact, as well as a facial expression made of steel.

The two of them continued to wrestle with just their eyes in silence for several more seconds.

Asashio finally admitted defeat by giving a sharp salute, breaking eye contact to look straight ahead. "It's an honor, sir! Awaiting your orders!" She said loudly. Daimlon immediately knew he had passed with flying colors.

He brought his hand up in a salute in return. "The honor is mine. Your current orders are to get yourself situated into the base nicely. Other than that you are free to do as you please as you await further instruction." Daimlon said loudly. The two of them dropped their salutes. "You may rest at ease, formalities take a back seat on this base so long as you remember who's in charge." Daimlon commanded.

"Understood, sir. I look forward to working with you." Asashio said.

"The feeling is mutual." Daimlon said simply.

"With your permission, I would like to introduce myself, personally, to the Light Cruiser." She said formally.

Daimlon relaxed his chest and shoulders, and crossed his arms. "You don't need to ask me, like I said, formalities aren't very important here." He explained calmly.

She nodded, and immediately walked over to Jintsuu. She began to eye her down in a similar fashion. Jintsuu immediately felt uncomfortable at the stare Asashio gave her. Jintsuu was clearly intimidated, clutching her arms to her chest, leaning back slightly, and looking away. Asashio stared silently at Jintsuu for several moments. "Look at me." She said. Jintsuu only became more nervous, and began noticeably blushing while darting her eyes back and forth between Asashio and various points around the room. Asashio took a step forward, and Jintsuu immediately responded with a smaller step back. "Jintsuu, look me in the eye." She commanded.

Daimlon knew all too well what was happening and what the result would be, but he allowed the situation to play out, silently observing how Asashio treated someone clearly failing her test.

"It's rude not to make eye contact when you're talking to someone. It's easy, I don't bite, just look me in the eye." She said, in a much calmer voice. Jintsuu, maintaining her defensive posture, slowly calmed her eyes down, and forced them to gaze into Asashio's eyes. "Good. Don't look away, just keep staring. Alternate looking at each eye to keep your eyes moving." She explained calmly, maintaining her stony gaze on Jintsuu.

After a delay of about five seconds, Asashio gave Jintsuu a smile. "See? Nothing to be afraid of." She said reassuringly. Jintsuu seemed to ease up as she continued to stare back at Asashio. "You should work on keeping eye contact, it's important." She placed her hands on her hips as she spoke.

"I-I will." Jintsuu said softly, still clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

Asashio offered a handshake to Jintsuu. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jintsuu." She said.

Jintsuu slowly reached out to meet Asashio's hand. "N-Nice to meet you, as well." She said slightly louder.

The two exchanged a handshake. "No, no, no. You need to be firm in your handshakes. It leaves a bad impression. Here, I'll hold out my hand and you squeeze it." Asashio continued to advise, as she offered her hand again.

Jintsuu grabbed on lightly. "Harder." Asashio instructed. Jintsuu squeezed tighter. "Still not hard enough, you need to squeeze until I can't do _this_." Asashio said, as she tightened her grip on Jintsuu's hand and started manipulating it with ease.

Daimlon couldn't help but be incredibly pleased with the results he was getting. He had high hopes for her as soon as he saw her, and she was already delivering.

"Here, try to move my hand like I just did yours." Asashio said, she gripped Jintsuu's hand as if it were mid-shake. Jintsuu attempted to manipulate Asashio's hand, but Asashio's hand would only budge a little before it ceased to move. It refused to move further than that unless Jintsuu forced it. "You just need to maintain a firm grip to make sure I can't manipulate it with ease." Asashio continued to lecture.

"Now squeeze my hand until I can't move yours." Asashio said. Jintsuu continued to silently and obediently listen. She actually seemed like she was being serious about the advice she was receiving, paying close attention. Jintsuu squeezed her hand again, and appeared to grasp on firmly enough. Asashio debated internally for several moments. "Close enough, it can still use work, but that will do for now." Asashio said.

"O-Okay... Thank you." Jintsuu said with a slight smile on her face.

"No one's ever shown you how to give a proper handshake before?" Asashio questioned, somewhat surprised.

Jintsuu paused for several seconds. "No." She said.

The two stood there in silence for several moments.

"Where's my greeting? Got something against fairies?" Nonna flew beside Asashio, glaring at her.

"Oh, sorry." Asashio said as she turned to face Nonna, who was floating right in front of her. "No, I don't, I just hadn't gotten to you yet." She said

Nonna flew right in front of Asashio's nose. This time it was Nonna who initiated the staring contest. The two just glared at each other for several seconds before Asashio gave Nonna a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you... Nonna, was it?" She said relatively softly.

Nonna just smiled back, and flew back a little, creating more space between the two. "Yeah, that's right. You seem nice, I'm sure Daimlon is proud to have you." Nonna said.

"Thank you. You don't seem too bad yourself." Asashio said, still wearing her warm smile.

Daimlon wished he could stay to observe further, but he wanted to get started on developing those tests for Jintsuu. "Well, I have work that needs to be done. Asashio, if you have any questions about anything at all, just ask Nonna. She'll show you around, and answer any questions with pleasure. Feel free to stop by my office if you need to talk, I have an open door policy." Daimlon said.

"Understood, Commander. Again, It's a pleasure to be here." Asashio said, she looked sharply into Daimlon's eyes.

Daimlon gave her a warm smile. "The pleasure is mine." Daimlon said calmly before looking up to the rest of the girls. "Make sure everyone gets a good night's rest, Nonna we have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Asashio and Jintsuu, you will be going on an expedition tomorrow, our resources are wearing thin." He said loudly.

"Don't worry, Commander, you can count on me." Asashio said confidently. Nonna simply gave a nod, while Jintsuu didn't make any confirmation at all. With that, Daimlon started back to his office.

* * *

It had been roughly thirty minutes since Daimlon had sat down at his desk to work on the tests that Jintsuu would be taking. At the moment, he was brainstorming ideas that would later be further refined into the tests themselves. He had accuracy tests, speed and agility tests, and unit cohesion tests along with many others written on his paper. Only those three topics were circled, confirming that they would be followed through for further refinement.

Daimlon's concentration was shot as there was a knock on the door. "Come in." He said loudly. Asashio walked through the door. He was taken off guard by who it was. "Asashio? What's up?" He asked as he placed his pen down on his desk, and interlocked his fingers.

She briskly walked over to the front of his desk, looking at him with a serious face. "I have concerns... I was hoping to address them if you had the time, sir." She said.

Daimlon had a decent idea of where the conversation was heading. "I always have time for all of you. What has you concerned?" He asked. Daimlon had to fight back a yawn that was beginning to creep it's way onto him.

"It's Jintsuu, sir." She explained coldly.

Daimlon leaned back in his chair, placing his right ankle on his left knee. "Don't worry, I'm well aware of why you are concerned.. We are currently working on the issue." He said professionally.

"I figured you might have known. I just wanted to make sure." She said, crossing her arms.

"That's what I've been working on since I left. How would you like to help me with helping her?" Daimlon asked.

Asashio's eyes immediately lit up. "I will always be willing to help you, sir." She said proudly, lowering her arms again.

Daimlon smiled at her. "Excellent. When I met you, you seemed to have a solid grasp on reading into people. I would like to ask that you observe her behavior, and report anything to me that would hinder her ability to perform as an adequate member of this fleet. Even if it's as simple as the way she walks, I want to know about it." Daimlon took his foot off his knee and sat up in his chair before continuing. "Furthermore, due to an incident earlier today, we are holding trials for her within the next week to identify her weaknesses. One of these trials will have her commanding someone while running a shooting course as a team. I want you to be her partner." He explained.

She listened intently, and didn't even have to think about her response. "Of course sir, I will keep a tab on all behavioral abnormalities, and notify you. I will also gladly help you by participating in the test as her partner." Asashio said proudly, placing her left hand on her hip, shifting her weight to her left leg. "I assume you want me to do something in particular, right?" She asked.

Daimlon was a little surprised. "You're sharp, I like that... That's correct. I want you to intentionally sabotage her performance, refusing to even move from the starting line until the time limit expires." He said.

Asashio gave him a somewhat puzzled look. "May I ask why? If we never leave the start point, you won't get to see her skills. Isn't that the whole point?" She asked.

"No. The point is to read further into her psych by inducing greater and greater amounts of stress on her. I want to see how she reacts when a squad member becomes insubordinate, and how she would go about picking up the slack. This way we get to see more of her leadership qualities than a regular test would, and it'll also show more about her personality." Daimlon explained professionally.

Asashio crossed her arms as she continued to pay close attention. "I also want to see how well she handles stressful situations. I know you don't know this, but Jintsuu has a long history of being dismissed from fleets, and no one appears to know why. I've been told to help her with this issue, but to scrap her if her problem persists. I've imposed the idea that if she scores poorly she will be scrapped. I'm hoping that the stress of the situation combined with the thought of being scrapped, simply because one of her own teammates refuses to help, will open her psych up like a book. The whole point of these tests is to determine what is causing her dismissal, as she apparently has no clue, so we can tackle the root of the problem." He finished finally, he interlocked his fingers as he did.

Asashio gave him a smirk. "I like the idea, and I fully support it. However, it could quickly backfire if Jintsuu can't tolerate the stress. Things could easily get messy." She said confidently.

"We're preparing for the worst. I highly doubt she would turn violent, but I'll take precautions for your safety just in case. Besides turning violent, there's not much she could do that would be of concern." He said reassuringly.

"Understood. When will this test take place?" She asked.

Daimlon leaned back in his chair. "Sometime within the next week. I will notify you the day before the test takes place." He said. He couldn't fight back the yawn this time, but made sure to suppress the sound.

"Of course, sir. It's getting late, so I should get going. I apologize for keeping you up." Asashio said, immediately turning around to head back for the door.

"Asashio." Daimlon said loudly, stopping her in her tracks. She turned around to look at him. "It doesn't matter how late it is, I don't care if I'm sleeping, if you need to talk to me, just knock on the door." He said as sincerely as he could. He wanted all of his girls to feel free to talk to him about anything, no matter the time.

She stared into his eyes for a few seconds. "Thank you, sir. I'll keep that in mind. Is there something else you wanted to talk about?" She asked.

Daimlon sat up and looked at her somewhat intensely to stress what he was about to say. "...No. I just want everyone to be able to talk to me whenever they need to." He said.

She smiled softly at him. "I'm glad to see your eyes didn't lie to me." She said.

"Neither did yours." He said with a sly grin on his face

Asashio turned around again, and headed for the door. "Goodnight, Commander." Asashio said as she opened the door.

"Goodnight Asashio, if you need anything, you know where to find me." Daimlon said as he started to clean his desk off to prepare for bed. Asashio left the room, and closed the door behind her.

Daimlon tucked his page of ideas away in a safe spot in his desk, and walked over to his bedroom door. He stepped into his room, closed the curtains on the window, and immediately began stripping down to his boxers and plain white T-shirt. He went ahead and crawled into bed, and made himself comfortable. The bed was incredibly soft, just how he liked it. He let out a deep sigh as he continued to think about everything that had happened in just a short twenty four hours. _'I really hope I'm right about this...'_ He thought, as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	5. A New Friend Is Made

**_Author's Note: I would like to sincerely apologize for the lack of updates these past couple weeks. I had several life issues arise in quick succession, and haven't had much time to write. However, everything is taken care of (I hope.), and we should be steaming ahead nicely once again. You guys have been waiting long enough, and I don't want to keep you waiting any more. So please, enjoy reading Chapter five._**

"No. The computer desk should be conjoined to my existing desk, and face me off to my left, and press against the wall. They should wrap around my seat so I can easily swap between the two." Daimlon stressed as he motioned where exactly he was talking about.

"Why not just have your computer sit on the desk you have now, why do you need another desk?" Nonna asked, floating in the middle of the room.

Daimlon and Nonna were in the middle of deliberating on how to arrange Daimlon's bare bones office. Daimlon had put in a requisition for extra furnishings to be added to his office, including two computers, several filing cabinets, three desks, an extra chair, and a door closer to be affixed to his door.

"I'll still need to do plenty of paperwork, and I'll need the desk space. Not only that but how am I going to maintain eye contact with who I'm talking to if the monitor is in the way?" Daimlon reasoned, crossing his arms as he stood next to his desk.

Nonna just looked at him with a serious face. "There is a keyboard tray, using it would create copious amounts of free desk space, and we can place the monitor off to the side."

"Nonna, nobody uses keyboard trays for a reason, and I'm not going to rest a monitor precariously on the edge of my desk." Daimlon wasn't willing to let it go.

Nonna just let out a long sigh. "Fine, we'll do it, it is your office after all. However, that doesn't explain why you need to accommodate for the secretary ship this early, you're not going to need one for a while." Nonna said in a slightly irritated tone.

"I can't deny that you're right, but It's better to have it and not need, than to need it and not have it." He said confidently, his arms still crossed with a slight smile on his face.

Nonna pulled out her clipboard and scribbled on it for several seconds. "I suppose. Everything should be installed within a couple hours." Nonna said.

"Alright. How's the expedition faring? Any word on when they'll be back?" Daimlon asked as he uncrossed his arms and started leaning on his desk.

"You can check that information in your tablet. Since I happen to know off the top of my head, they will be back within two hours. According to Marie, they are approximately one hundred kilometers offshore... Are you worried?" Nonna asked, somewhat concerned herself.

Daimlon pulled out his tablet, and navigated to the 'Expeditions' tab, to find the same information that Nonna had just told him, then backed out of the tab. "Frankly, no, not in the slightest. Asashio is strong, I already have complete faith in her. Honestly, I hope they run into a couple of Destroyers so Asashio can show Jintsuu how it's done." Daimlon said, smiling as he continued to sift through his tablet. He navigated over to the construction screen, with a three hour timer staring back at him. As the day had begun, he immediately began construction on another ship. He used the same amount of resources as he had on Asashio, resulting in an overall seven hour and fifteen minute timer. The construction had drained the last of their reserves of Steel, with only small amounts of Fuel and Ammo remaining.

Nonna just crossed her arms and looked at him. "You should be careful with placing too much confidence in your own people." Nonna advised.

Daimlon looked up at her from his tablet, wearing a smug smile. "You'd be surprised what having a little faith can bring." He said simply. He returned his eyes to his tablet after he finished speaking.

Nonna couldn't help but feel a little worried he had so much faith in someone fresh off the construction line, but she could understand why. Silence fell between them for several seconds.

"So we have a large excess of Bauxite, what can we do with it? Any suggestions?" Daimlon asked as he continued to sift through his tablet.

"We have eight hundred and sixty three bauxite.. Just enough to add a Seaplane Hangar to our harbor, however, it will consume one of our large docking facilities. We can have scout aircraft monitor the area around the base with it. We'll also need a couple hundred Fuel, as well as one hundred Steel." Nonna explained as she stared at her clipboard.

"If we need that much Fuel and Steel, we're out of luck until the expedition returns. Can it be upgraded like our other base structures?" Daimlon asked as he turned his tablet off, placing it back in it's pocket.

"No, the only way to add more scout patrols is to build another Seaplane Hangar. I would advise against building multiple hangars. We can have a small scale Airfield, which can be upgraded, constructed within a couple weeks." Nonna said.

Just then, Regina had appeared in a puff of smoke. "Admiral, I've identified the problem." She said without hesitation.

"Well?" Daimlon asked, eager to hear what had caused the communication issues the day before.

"Apparently, the communications systems were never properly tested, and the flaw was never caught before hand - when it should have been. While it still worked at short ranges, it had a significantly reduced receive range as a result of some faulty wiring." Regina said, adjusting her glasses as she spoke.

"Have you resolved the issue?" Daimlon asked, as he stood up straight from his desk.

"I have fairies working on it right this second." Regina said proudly.

"Good work, I appreciate your efforts. When can we expect it to be fully operational?" Daimlon said.

"Within thirty minutes, It's a relatively simple fix." Regina said.

Daimlon walked to the rear side of his desk, and took a seat in his chair. "Excellent." He said as he relaxed himself in his chair.

"Is there anything else you would like me to do?" Regina asked, eagerly waiting another assignment to prove her worth.

"Well, you could join Nonna and I..." Daimlon began to explain as he reached into his drawer, and pulled out a manila folder, placing it on his desk. "By helping us plan for Jintsuu's tests." He said seriously. Daimlon opened the folder, only a single sheet of paper was within at the moment, his ideas for general test ideas.

"I'm sure I could help somehow." Regina said as she and Nonna floated over Daimlon's desk, looking down at his notes.

"At the moment, I only have the obvious necessities, but I'd like more to go into it." He said.

"How about a written exam?" Nonna suggested almost immediately.

_'That was quick.'_ Daimlon thought to himself as he jotted down 'Written exam' on his sheet, and circled it. "I like that idea a lot, actually." He said.

Regina was quick to follow up. "How about an adaptability test? A standard surface target test that, without prior warning, adds air and torpedo targets into the mix."

Daimlon gave it a few seconds of thought, before adding it to the list, immediately circling it as well.

"Evasion tests. Dodging air, torpedo, and cannon attacks. Perhaps all at once?" Nonna said as she held her hand up to her chin in thought.

Daimlon barely had time to write that one down before Regina spoke again.

"How about a navigation test?" She said confidently.

He put it down, but refrained from circling it, he would need to think about that one before going through with it. After several seconds of thought, he wrote down and circled his own idea. 'Final Test'

"A final?" Regina asked as she adjusted her glasses.

"Yeah, a test that throws every other test at her at one time, in a single test." He explained.

He allowed plenty of time to expire, allowing the two girls that floated above him to vent any ideas they had going on.

With enough ideas, and plenty of them green lit to be implemented, he grabbed another sheet of paper. He placed it on his desk with the header 'Accuracy Test'. "We're ready for the specifics, this will likely take most of the day, so feel free to come and go as you please. I might implement a few more from the list, but I want to get started so we're ready for tomorrow's first test." Daimlon said proudly.

* * *

"I've finished counting the resources we're carrying." Marie said with a large grin on her face, floating over Jintsuu's right shoulder.

"What are our totals?" Jintsuu asked, keeping her eyes forward toward the land mass off in the distance.

"Three hundred Steel, two hundred Fuel, two hundred and sixty Ammo, and thirty Bauxite." Marie said excitedly.

"We did very well for just two of us. I'm sure he will be pleased." Asashio said, keeping pace several meters off to Jintsuu's right.

"I-I hope so." Jintsuu said softly, inaudible to both Marie and Asashio.

Jintsuu continued to observe the land mass in front of them as the cool breeze beat against her face. Both girls had large drums of supplies fixed onto their back, placed horizontally at the waist. They lost speed due to the extra weight they were carrying, but they were still making good time. _'We should be there in less than five minutes." _Jintsuu thought to herself, slightly weary from the expedition. The three girls continued onward toward their destination, leaving a long wake behind them as they went.

"So what do you think?" Asashio asked, turning to look at Jintsuu.

Jintsuu just gave her a puzzled look back. "About...What?" Jintsuu asked, somewhat nervously.

"About Daimlon. I don't know much about him, I was hoping you could fill me in on what he's like." She said, her eyes unwavering as she continued to look at Jintsuu.

Jintsuu was taken off guard by the sudden question. She chinned down to the water in front of her as she thought about her response. "I...I'm not sure what to think." She said, still looking down at the water.

"What do you mean?" Asashio asked, still gazing at Jintsuu as they sped along toward their destination.

Jintsuu toyed with her fingers for a few seconds. "..I don't know... He's nice sometimes... But.. Most of the time.. He just makes me feel like another tool in his toolbox... Like my feelings or thoughts don't matter..." She said in a somber tone.

Asashio faced front as the harbor came into view. "I see..." Asashio said softly. She closed the gap between her and Jintsuu until they were almost shoulder to shoulder. "Do you trust him?" She asked Jintsuu seriously, while looking at her.

Jintsuu created some space between the two while looking at Asashio nervously as she spoke. "Uh.. He... He saved my life... So yeah... I do." She said plainly.

"Well, If you trust him, so do I." Asashio said gratefully.

"I think he just tries to play cool too much. He's way too serious all the time." Marie said cheerfully, that grin of hers wasn't going anywhere. Neither of the girls responded to her, or even acknowledged she had said anything.

"I just wish he was a little nicer." Jintsuu said softly as she saw the harbor's arms come into view. It should be any minute now and they can begin unloading their cargo.

Asashio just looked at Jintsuu for a few seconds, before returning her look forward toward the harbor. As the three of them worked their way into the harbor, Marie detached from the group, flying over to the Supply Depot. Asashio and Jintsuu pulled up to the ramp in front of the Supply Depot, and began to remove the drums of supplies, placing them carefully on the ramp. Though the incline wasn't very steep, they still had to ensure the drums wouldn't tip over and tumble back into the water. Several fairies came along to retrieve the drums, and once the drums of supplies were on a flat bed cart, on their way to the Supply Depot, both Jintsuu and Asashio made their way over to the Staging Area to strip their gear.

They gently pulled themselves into a large, open ended concrete structure. Inside were six small docks, with concrete walkway on either side of each dock. Each walkway was just barely above the water level, and lead up to a staircase that opened to a large platform above. The platform was lined with railing, broken only when a staircase was present. At the top of the platform, the room was empty, with only a large doorway to the right leading into the storage compartment of the building. Jintsuu gently slipped herself into one of the docks, with Asashio taking the one to her right.

Several fairies each moved in to assist the girls, removing the equipment on their upper bodies, taking them away to be stored until they were needed again. After all equipment such as guns, torpedo tubes, and catapults had been removed, they sat on the concrete walkway. After a brief period of waiting, their footwear had been removed for them by the fairies, and they were able to stand on solid ground.

Asashio was finished with the process before Jintsuu, and was already working her way up the steps by the time Jintsuu had sat down. Jintsuu stood and immediately started making her way up the steps. She could faintly hear Asashio talking to someone, and that someone turned out to be Daimlon, who was waiting near the entrance to the Staging Area. Jintsuu topped the steps, and Daimlon was looking right at her. She began walking over to him, knowing he wanted to talk to them about the expedition.

"How much did you manage to find?" Daimlon asked, looking at Jintsuu. He had his arms crossed as he spoke.

Jintsuu paused for a moment. "Three hundred Steel.. Two hundred Fuel.. Two hundred and sixty Ammo, but we only found thirty Bauxite." Jintsuu said softly, placing her hands behind her back.

Daimlon raised his brows slightly. "That's good. Bauxite is the last thing we need at the moment, anyway. That's actually an impressive amount, especially considering there were only two of you. Good work." He said, rather pleased with the results. He was honestly expecting no more than a hundred of each resource.

"T-Thank you." Jintsuu said, taking a mental sigh of relief, relaxing her arms at her side.

"The two of you can go ahead and resupply over at the Mess Hall, I've made sure that the food would still be warm when you got back." Daimlon said proudly before turning to face Asashio. "Asashio, grab your tray of food and come see me in my office, we need to discuss some things." Asashio gave him a small nod. "Jintsuu, you are dismissed for the rest of the day, you may do as you please." He said as he looked at her. After he was finished, Daimlon immediately turned around for the front door.

"D-Daimlon." Jintsuu said softly.

Daimlon stopped in his tracks, and turned to face her. "What is it?" He asked in a simple tone.

Jintsuu shifted her weight about nervously. "I-uh.. I wish to.. Practice... Can you.. Set up some targets?" She asked meekly, her gaze resting on the floor beside Daimlon.

Daimlon simply turned to face the door again. "Go speak with Regina, she should be sorting things out in the Supply Depot. She can set you up with everything you'll need to prepare." He said, before continuing to walk towards the door.

The door closed behind Daimlon as he, presumably, began walking back to his office. After a brief delay, Jintsuu headed out the door. She saw Daimlon walk toward the front door to the HQ building, and started walking in the same direction over to the Mess Hall. Asashio walked beside her as they went. Jintsuu really wanted to probe Asashio to see why Daimlon wanted to see her, but she knew it was none of her business, and that Asashio herself likely didn't know.

As they both walked through the door to the Mess Hall, the pleasant scent of fresh food was thick in the air. _'It smells like... Curry.'_ Jintsuu thought to herself, as she began walking over to the counter on the far side of the room. The counter had two trays on it, both with a plate of curry with rice, a set of utensils, and a drink on them. They both grabbed their tray of food, and turned toward each other.

"I guess I'll talk to you later. See ya." Asashio said, before walking back toward the door, tray in hand.

"Yeah. T-Thanks again, Asashio." Jintsuu said, as she sat down at one of the many tables in the Mess Hall.

"No problem, Jintsuu." Asashio shouted back at Jintsuu, before pushing the door open with her back, and walking out.

Jintsuu began to poke away at the curry in front of her. She tried a bite, only to find it was rather spicy. She had never really cared for spicy food, but she was too hungry to be picky. She mixed the rice and curry together thoroughly. The Mess Hall was really quiet, only the faint sound of the cookware being rinsed and washed accompanied her. Jintsuu sighed to herself, slumping over slightly. She continued to eat in a sullen fashion by herself, deep in thought.

* * *

Asashio walked into Daimlon's office, tray still in hand. The door closed behind her on its own. She hesitated slightly at seeing Daimlon's new office. Several filing cabinets lined the back left corner, and Daimlon now had a computer at his disposal. The computer sat on a desk that was now directly to Daimlon's left, tightly pressed against his original desk and the wall behind him. Above all, there was a new desk to the left, sitting several feet in front of the filing cabinets, facing the center of the room. This new desk also had a computer, placed on a desk pressed tightly against the center desk and the wall off to the right. The distance between the new desk and Daimlon's desk was only about four feet, leaving a small opening to get in or out from behind the desks in the middle of the two. Asashio immediately found the new arrangements to her liking, it looked rather appealing to her.

Daimlon was busy looking at his computer screen, but was now looking at Asashio with a grin on his face, obviously proud of his new and improved office. "Asashio, please, have a seat at the secretary's desk." He said.

After a moment more of hesitation, Asashio smirked, and walked through the opening between the desks. "I like your new office, sir." She said as she immediately rounded to her left. To her surprise, despite looking cramped at first, the area behind the desks was rather spacious.

"Good to hear. While you're eating I want you to fill me in on what happened, as well as what you've learned." Daimlon said as he swiveled his chair back toward his computer. Asashio planted the tray of food on the desk and had a seat in the chair. She glanced over at Daimlon's screen to see he was working on a mission report for the expedition.

"Well, I can tell you that she contributed maybe twenty percent of the resources we gathered. The rest I found myself." Asashio said as she began spooning come curry into her mouth, immediately following it up with a small spoonful of rice.

"Twenty percent? What happened?" Daimlon asked without turning away from the computer. He ticked away at the keyboard for a few seconds after he finished his question.

A few moments of silence fell between them as Asashio finished chewing her food. "I'm not sure, sir. She was searching slowly, taking her time, and seemed to be unsure of where to look. Maybe she doesn't know how to be effective on expeditions, and no one showed her how. I mean, nobody taught her how to shake a hand after all." Asashio said, she immediately filled her mouth with more food.

"Alright, next time you two go out on an expedition, I want you to hold her hand through it. Teach her everything you know." Daimlon said as he swiveled his chair to face Asashio. "Can you do that?" He asked.

"I would, but honestly, I don't know anything more than she does. Every ship girl is imprinted with basic knowledge like that upon construction. However, just like everyone else, some are naturally better than others." Asashio explained as she returned Daimlon's gaze. "But, if I had to take a guess, it seems to me she isn't confident in her scavenging ability, sir." She finished, taking another bite of her food.

Daimlon could only sigh as he leaned back in his chair. "Literally everything points to a confidence issue... It's kind of annoying..." He said, he returned to his computer and started typing away. "It's impossible a confidence issue can cause someone so many issues. There has to be something deeper." He said, thinking aloud.

"Have you considered that something happened to her on her first base? Something traumatizing that crippled her mental state?" Asashio asked, looking at Daimlon with a serious face.

Daimlon turned to look at her. "I have, but I have nothing solid on it until she admits it. Besides, I can't imagine her own Admiral and her friends would turn her away after something happened to her." He said as he placed his jaw in his hand, resting his elbow on his armrest.

"What if her first Admiral was abusive towards her?" Asashio asked, immediately spooning more curry into her mouth. She pulled her chair closer to the desk and readjusted herself in her seat.

"It's more likely than a traumatizing event, but it's still incredibly unlikely." Daimlon said as he turned back toward his computer. "All the Admirals I've met are just about the nicest people you could meet. The Naval Academy stresses proper treatment as well." He typed away at the mission report in front of him.

Asashio just looked down at her half empty plate of food as she thought. She gently bit the inside of her lip before taking another bite. Asashio's train of thought was broken as Daimlon spoke up.

"What else have you learned? Anything that might be useful?" Daimlon asked, as he finished his mission report, and saved it on his hard drive. He swiveled back and faced Asashio after he finished saving the mission report.

Asashio finished chewing her food before she spoke again. "I have. I asked her what she thought about you." She said, looking at Daimlon with a serious face.

Daimlon was looking right back at her with a serious face as well. "Well?" He asked after a brief pause, eager to hear what Asashio had to say.

"She told me you make her feel like her thoughts or feelings don't matter, like she's a tool, but she also said that she trusts you completely." Asashio said, taking another bite as she finished.

Daimlon could only smirk slightly at hearing her response. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, clearly happy to hear what she thought. He reached into his drawer and pulled out the notes on the tests.

"You don't seem too concerned with her somewhat negative opinion of you." Asashio said as she finished her food, pushing the tray of food back slightly.

Daimlon looked at her with a smile. "That's not negative to me. As long as she's willing to follow my orders, she could hate my guts for all I care." Daimlon said. He motioned for Asashio to come over to his desk.

Asashio stood from her seat and made her way over, standing next to Daimlon's chair. "Fair enough... What's this?" She said as she examined the notes on Daimlon's desk. They were incomplete, but mostly finished.

"This is tomorrow's test, a simple accuracy test. Most of the targets will react to her fire, and attempt to evade her attacks like a real opponent would." Daimlon explained as she looked up at the girl standing next to his seat.

She continued to examine the sheet for a few more seconds. "I like it." She said, looking down at Daimlon.

Daimlon turned back to his note sheet. Asashio just continued to look at Daimlon. Daimlon pulled out the rest of the notes he had for the other tests. Most of the sheets detailing the tests were almost entirely blank.

"When is the unit cohesion test?" Asashio asked.

"Most likely on the fifth day, but that could change. I didn't bother making a note sheet for it since it's predetermined nothing will happen." Daimlon said as he sifted through the sheets.

"What's the test after the accuracy test?" Asashio asked. She placed her left hand on her hip, and shifted her weight to her left leg.

"Agility and speed. The next day it will be an evasion test, with an adaptability test taking place the next day. A written exam will follow, and then the unit cohesion test will take place after that." He explained professionally. "Of course, it's all subject to change." He crossed his arms as he finished.

"Just so you know, I'm not going to enjoy doing that to Jintsuu... I also hope you're making sure I stay safe. Right?" Asashio asked, looking at Daimlon.

Daimlon just looked up at her with a small smile. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you're scared." Daimlon teased.

Asashio scratched her head. "I'm not... I trust you, it's just... I don't want to find out what seven fourteen centimeter guns can do to me. That's all." Asashio explained with a hint of nervousness.

"Like I said, I doubt it'll happen, but if it does, we'll be ready. If you don't want to participate in this, it's not too late to back out. We do have another ship on the way that can do it." Daimlon explained.

Asashio looked at him with a fierce expression. "I said I'd do it, and I will." She said confidently.

Daimlon just smiled. "Good." Daimlon said softly. "Just remember, if Jintsuu turns violent, treat her as hostile. Don't be afraid to fight back until help arrives. Incapacitate her if you can, but if it seriously boils down to it... Sink her if you have to. Your life takes priority over hers." He explained as he turned his attention back to his notes.

"Of course." Asashio said simply.

"Now, I need to speak with Nonna for a moment. The ship I ordered this morning should be finished soon." Daimlon said as she reached into his jacket pocket to retrieve his tablet. He glimmered it on. Nonna appeared in front of them as he did.

"The construction of a ship will be finished in ten minutes." Nonna said professionally.

Daimlon looked at her for a few moments. "Just in time, I was about to page you." He said as he put his tablet away. "I wanted to tell you to go ahead and begin construction on that seaplane hangar we were talking about."

Nonna immediately scribbled on her clipboard. "You still have to confirm it." She said as the confirmation screen appeared in front of Daimlon. Daimlon confirmed it without a second glance.

"Alright. Let's go welcome our new ship." Daimlon proclaimed as he stood up.

They all made their way out the door, and began the trek over to the Construction Yard. The sun still hung high in the sky, it was only a few hours after noon. Daimlon observed Jintsuu out on the water in the harbor. He could see her talking to Regina, along with Lilly, who was helping set up some targets for her. They were cheap wooden targets that would sit straight up on a buoy. Daimlon had a seat on his new bench that was sitting in front of the Construction Yard, facing the harbor. Asashio had a seat next to him as they both listened to the sounds of construction emanate from within the building.

"How do you think she'll do tomorrow?" Daimlon asked Asashio as they both continued to watch Lilly and Jintsuu set up the targets.

"It's hard to say. I hope she does alright, though." Asashio said. Nonna took a position floating between the two.

"I think she's gonna do just fine." Nonna said, crossing her arms.

Daimlon placed his right ankle on his left knee, wearing a slight smirk. "I predict she will do mediocre at best tomorrow." He said.

Nonna flew out in front of them, turning to face them. "The real question is how long until she cracks from the pressure, and completely chokes? We all know it's going to happen." Nonna said.

"Oh yeah, I've got my money on day four at the latest." Daimlon said.

"Day two here." Asashio said.

"I'll have a little faith and say day five." Nonna said. After a brief pause, the three of them just smiled at each other before laughing among themselves. "Let's make it an actual bet. Winner gets ice cream for a week." Nonna said, still wearing a smile.

Asashio just looked at her with a smile. "Nonna, with a spoonful of ice cream in her hand. I can't picture it." She said.

"I can probably eat more than you could, princess." Nonna said proudly.

"Let me guess, it's because of that damned fairy magic, isn't it?" Daimlon joked as he readjusted his position on the bench, removing his ankle from his leg.

Nonna chuckled. "You're finally starting to catch on." She said.

Daimlon laughed a little.

"If you guys are down for it, so am I." Asashio said, she almost sounded eager.

Daimlon allowed a few moments of silence to elapse before he spoke. "Alright then, it's official. Whoever's closest to the day she cracks gets ice cream for a week. By the way, Nonna, I like strawberry." He joked with a smile.

Nonna just looked at him, and raised her hand to her ear. "I'm sorry? I couldn't hear you over my requisition order for chocolate."

"How thoughtful, Nonna, how did you know I liked chocolate?" Asashio said sarcastically.

Daimlon could hardly believe they had all just taken bets on it like it was some sort of game, but he honestly found it incredibly amusing. It was a nice reprieve from being serious all the time, a good chance to loosen up a little.

"It doesn't really matter what you guys like, 'cause we all know I'm going to win." Daimlon said confidently.

Nonna flew in front of him, inches from his face. "If you intentionally make day four more likely to break her, I will break _you._" Nonna threatened in a joking manner.

"Don't worry, I won't, I'm a man of my word, but I don't think you could break a toothpick, Nonna." Daimlon teased.

Asashio couldn't help but laugh a little. "I don't think I could ever take the word of someone who prefers strawberry over chocolate." Asashio said with a smirk.

"She has a point." Nonna said jokingly.

The sounds of construction ceased, causing all conversation to stop as well. Daimlon and Asashio stood from the bench, and began to walk over to the large door. "On a more serious note, when Jintsuu does crack, be careful around her. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of this." Daimlon said.

"Don't worry, we know." Nonna said. The large door began to open, revealing the curtain lying behind. They brushed past the curtain into the large, pitch black room. The lights flickered on.

They revealed a girl, similar in size to Asashio, with short twin tailed blonde hair. Her eyes shone a soft green, and her face presented an eager smile. She wore a white button-up T-shirt under a black vest with a black skirt.

She spoke without hesitation, barely allowing them time to get a good look at her. "Heya there, the name's Maikaze of the Kagerou-class!" She said jubilantly. Daimlon immediately walked over to her.

"Pleased to meet you, Maikaze. I am Admiral Daimlon, behind me is our construction fairy, Nonna, and our Destroyer, Asashio." He explained professionally as he extended his hand for a handshake.

She latched on firmly with an enormous smile on her face. "Oh, this is wonderful, when do I start dancing with the enemy!?" She exclaimed.

"If you're talking about fighting, it should be soon enough." Daimlon said with a slight smirk.

"Oh, I can't _wait_ to stretch these legs!" Maikaze said as she began to sway her hips, following up with a couple dance moves before finishing. Daimlon couldn't deny that she did dance well.

Asashio approached her, and began to stare deep into her eyes, just inches from her face. Maikaze just looked at her quizzically for a few moments. "Would you like to.. Dance?" Maikaze asked. Before Asashio could react, Maikaze had put on an enormous grin, and grabbed onto Asashio.

"No. No, no, no." Asashio managed to sputter out before being swept away in the tide that was Maikaze. It was possibly the most one sided dance Daimlon had ever laid eyes on. He couldn't help but smile at how Maikaze was effortlessly twirling around with Asashio as she resisted.

"I can see you really like to dance, Maikaze." Daimlon said, pointing out the obvious. Asashio continued to try to pry herself away from Maikaze's grip.

"I _looove_ to dance!" She exclaimed as she continued to pull the extra weight around like it was nothing.

Nonna floated over to Daimlon's shoulder. "This is... really entertaining." She said into his ear.

"Indeed it is..." He murmured back with a smile. "Alright, Maikaze, it's time to let go of the hostage." He said. Maikaze promptly let go of Asashio.

Asashio was visibly somewhat dizzy after being twirled around. "I never asked for a dance!" Asashio said, clearly unhappy with being tossed around like that.

"You were just staring at me, it made the situation really tense, so I decided to loosen it up!" Maikaze said joyfully with a smile.

Asashio just let out a large sigh as she tried to cool herself. "I was looking into your eyes. There's a difference." She explained calmly.

"You can look at my eyes while we dance, it's not hard." Maikaze said, placing her hands on her hips.

Asashio just crossed her arms. "I don't dance." She said.

"That's a shame." Maikaze said. "I'm sorry, I was just trying to have a little fun." She said with a grin on her face.

Asashio just sighed. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't terrible. Just unexpected." She said truthfully. Asashio created some distance between them before Maikaze got anymore ideas.

"Maikaze. You should also know about our only Light Cruiser. Her name is Jintsuu, and right now she's going through a bit of trouble. I'd appreciate it if you could treat her nicely for me." Daimlon said.

Maikaze grinned from ear to ear. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she gets a chance to dance with me!" She exclaimed.

"Good to hear. Now let's get you situated into the base." Daimlon said as he started heading out the front door again. Once they stepped outside, they were greeted by the sight of Jintsuu opening fire on the targets out on the harbor.

"Is that her?" Maikaze questioned, pointing to the girl out in the harbor.

"That would be her." Daimlon said. "Come on, follow me, we'll start with where you'll laying your head for the night." He said as he trailed off towards the Crew Quarters.

* * *

The sun hung low in the sky, and everything was covered in a shade of orange as the sun began to sink below the horizon. Jintsuu was panting heavily, catching her breath as she floated idle in the harbor. She was a mess from hours of training. Trickles of sweat peppered her face, her uniform was heavily slacked, and her hair was frayed.

"Just one more run. I.. I know I can do it this time." Jintsuu said to Regina, who was observing nearby.

"I can't do that. Daimlon told me to cut your session when it started getting dark." Regina said as she scribbled on her clipboard.

"It's not dark yet, and I still haven't pulled higher than a sixty percent hit rate yet. I...I need more practice, Regina." Jintsuu pleaded.

Regina took a deep breath. "I agree you definitely need to practice more, but that's enough for today. I imagine you'll have plenty of time to practice after your tests are finished." Regina reasoned, adjusting her glasses. As much as Regina wanted to comply with Jintsuu's request, she couldn't bring herself to defy a direct order from Daimlon himself.

Jintsuu gave it a long sigh. She just looked down at her hands, which were trembling. "Alright..." She muttered.

After a brief pause, Regina flew in front of Jintsuu, making sure to get her attention. "Don't look so down, you had a marginal improvement from when you first started. A twelve percent accuracy increase, that's not bad for just one day of practice. These things take time." Regina said with a soft smile.

Jintsuu couldn't help but give a faint smile back. "Yes. I suppose you're right. As long as I can perform okay during the test, I'll be fine." She said.

Regina backed away a little. "You look exhausted, go ahead and turn in for the night." Regina said, scribbling on her clipboard.

"I don't want to leave you to clean up my mess.." Jintsuu said softly.

Regina waved her off. "Don't worry about it, Lilly may have left us hours ago, but I have dozens of fairies waiting around for something to do." Regina insisted with a smile.

Jintsuu still couldn't help but feel bad about it, but she knew Regina didn't have to lift a finger to clean it up. "Alright... Regina, I... I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you so much for helping me. I truly appreciate it." Jintsuu said as gratefully as she could.

Regina just looked at her with a wide grin on her face. "Any time, Jintsuu. After all, that's one of the reasons why my job exists." She said. "Whenever you need anything at all, just let me know. I'll be more than happy to lend a hand, or a dozen." Regina winked at her.

Though she initially was unsure about Regina, Jintsuu quickly found herself incredibly fond of her, mostly for how she seemed to genuinely care so much. It made Jintsuu feel good, knowing there was at least one person who she could lean on, even if just a little. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Good night Regina, see you tomorrow." She said with a wide grin on her face.

"Good night, sweetie." Regina said. Jintsuu turned and started to skate back toward the Staging Area to disarm.

Jintsuu was tired, but couldn't help but feel satisfied as she was being disarmed in the Staging Area dock. She almost felt confident about the test tomorrow, knowing she had clearly improved. She strolled up the steps to find a girl standing in the middle of the empty area on the platform. She stopped in her tracks at the unfamiliar face.

"Heya, how ya doin'?" Maikaze said with a warm smile.

Jintsuu instinctively started to assume her nervous posture. "Uh.. I'm fine... Who.. Are you?" Jintsuu said nervously.

"Oh, sorry." Maikaze said before giving Jintsuu a proper curtsy. "My name is Maikaze. I was built about five hours ago, I've been watching you train for a while now. You're not too bad, Jintsuu." She said as she closed the distance between them.

"N-Nice to meet you.. Maikaze." Jintsuu said, still somewhat nervous. She worked up the best smile she could.

"Oh, come on, you don't have to be so shy!" Maikaze said as she hooked arms with Jintsuu, and started pulling her towards the door. "You've been out there since lunch, you have to be hungry. Let's get something to eat!" She said excitedly with an enormous smile on her face.

Jintsuu was completely confused, but offered no resistance to Maikaze's offer. "Um.. Alright." Jintsuu said, completely bewildered.

Maikaze pulled Jintsuu around until they were in front of the Mess Hall. "I wonder what's for dinner!?" Maikaze asked no one in particular, immediately tugging Jintsuu forward through the door. The Mess Hall was completely empty save for Lilly, who had just gotten her food and was about to eat. Lilly immediately turned to look to see who opened the door, and her face lit up as she saw the two girls stroll in, Maikaze still leading Jintsuu around.

Lilly dropped her tray off at the nearest table. "Jintsuu!" She screamed as she scrambled toward them, embracing Jintsuu as fast as she could. Lilly wrapped her arms around Jintsuu's waist, as she only stood stomach high on her.

Jintsuu was caught completely off guard, and was unsure of what to do or say at first. After a brief pause, she smiled gently and returned Lilly's embrace the best she could with her unoccupied left arm.

Lilly just looked up at Jintsuu with an excited expression. "Do you want to eat with me!?" Lilly asked with a glimmer in her eye.

There was no way Jintsuu could ever say no to a face like that. "Of course." Jintsuu said with a soft smile.

"Oh, thanks for the invitation, I'd love to come too, Lilly!" Maikaze joked, finally letting go of Jintsuu's arm.

"Of course you're invited! But only if you show me a few more dance moves!" Lilly exclaimed excitedly.

Maikaze just grinned widely. "Not a problem there, I love to teach others to dance!" Maikaze said proudly.

"Uhm... I'm gonna.. grab my food." Jintsuu said awkwardly. She headed up to the counter to grab her food, the two others following behind.

"What do you want to learn next, Lilly?" Maikaze asked. "I can teach you to-" Maikaze began to explain before being cut off.

"I want to learn how to dance just like you!" Lilly said as they continued to follow behind Jintsuu.

Maikaze just smiled at her. "Easy enough, We'll start tomorrow, okay?" She said, somewhat eager to do what she loved. She and Jintsuu grabbed their trays of food and headed over to Lilly's table.

"Jintsuu, you should learn too! It'll be fun!" Lilly shouted

Jintsuu just smiled at her softly. "I..I can't. I'm going to be busy all week.. Maybe after, okay?" She explained.

They all had a seat at the table, all sitting close to each other. "Don't tell me you're going to be doing that boring training stuff again." Lilly said in an exasperated tone.

"I will be." Jintsuu said softly as she took a bite of her food.

"Relax, Lilly. Training is incredibly important. She can join us for dance lessons whenever she can." Maikaze said reassuringly.

"Ugghh. Okaaay... I guess it can't be helped." Lilly said, disappointed.

_'It... Always starts...'_ Jintsuu began to think to herself, her gaze fell to Lilly, then up to Maikaze. _'Just__ like this...' _Jintsuu thought as her eyes fell down on to her plate of food.

* * *

Daimlon eyed the lengthy report he was clutching in his hands. He had his feet propped up on his desk, leaned back in his chair. Marie, Nonna, and Asashio were all standing in front of his desk, looking at him eagerly, waiting for him to finish reading. The report was detailing everything about the test tomorrow. It detailed down to specific individual target parameters, a schedule listing when everything needed to be set up properly, and even weather forecasts for the entire day.

He finished the last of it's words, and lowered the page from his face, removing his feet from his desk to sit up straight as he did. "Everything looks good, excellent job everyone." He said, pleased with their efforts.

"I assume you're going to green light it for tomorrow, then?" Nonna asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"I don't see any reason not to, so yes." Daimlon said.

"It says there's a high chance of rain, shouldn't we wait for another day?" Marie asked, clearly concerned.

Daimlon just gave her a serious look. "What about it? Rain could appear at any time in a regular battle, she should be prepared for the worst." Daimlon explained coldly.

"You're being way too hard on her, Daimlon. You need to ease up a little." Marie said with a smile.

"Why should I do that? The Abyssals would never ease up on her, she needs to be ready for anything." Daimlon explained, interlocking his fingers on his desk.

Marie just gave a loose salute to him while smiling. "You're the Admiral, whatever you say." She said in an upbeat tone.

Daimlon just paused for several seconds to see if anyone else interjected.

"For what it's worth, I fully support the idea of having her perform this test in rough weather, Commander." Asashio said confidently.

"I'm not sure how I feel about it, but if you think it's a good idea, I'm behind you." Nonna said, flicking her hair back behind her.

Daimlon sat back in his seat and placed his ankle on his knee. "Good. We'll proceed at the planned start time, harsh weather or not." He stated. "I will still need help with test elaboration tomorrow, so any of you who are willing, come in and assist wherever you desire. Understood?" Daimlon said in an authoritative voice.

"Yes, Commander." Asashio said with a strong look on her face.

"I'll be here, got nothing better to do." Nonna said. Marie didn't acknowledge at all, she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts for the moment.

"Very well. You're all dismissed for the day. I'll see you all tomorrow." Daimlon said as he began to store his papers away in his desk and filing cabinets neatly. Marie dissipated almost immediately.

"Good night, Admiral." Nonna said, dissipating before Daimlon had a chance to respond.

Asashio gave a salute. "I'll see you in the morning, Commander." She said sharply.

Daimlon returned the salute. "Good night, Asashio. See you in the morning." He said, quickly returning to packing his things away. Asashio turned and headed back for the door. She slipped out, allowing the door to close on it's own.

Daimlon stood from his seat, and walked over to the window behind the secretary's desk. He gazed out at the harbor, the lights around the harbor flickered on as the light sensors detected only small amounts of light remaining. He stared out the window for several minutes, looking at nothing in particular while he thought about tomorrow's test.

He finally pried himself away from the window, and pulled his tablet out of his jacket. He sifted through the various systems of the base, ensuring everything was as it should be. He noticed the reserve for Ammo and Fuel were slightly lower than they should have been. He determined it must have been from Jintsuu's training. His bauxite reserves were almost completely empty, having ordered the seaplane hangar earlier in the day. He had quite a bit of Steel, Ammo, and Fuel, enough for another construction project.

He navigated over to the construction tab, and saw the seaplane hangar would be finished early in the morning, roughly 0200. He issued another construction to begin, and allocated the same amount of resources as he had the previous two times. Two hundred Steel, Fuel, and Ammo. He placed his hand in the confirmation box.

His face lit up in a sleek smile as the large screen glared back at him, telling him how long it would take. It would be finished shortly after sunrise. Ten hours.


	6. The Tests Begin!

_**Author's Note: On this day, April 19th, it is a special day to me. Instead of celebrating this day as I normally do, I have decided to celebrate it by giving the week leading up to it to you guys instead. Which is why I am releasing the equivalent of two chapters in one. The previous chapters have been roughly 8,000 words, this one clocks in at almost 16,000. As such, I will include a 'bookmark' at around the halfway mark so you can read it in two sittings instead of one, and use the bookmark as a reference point to easily find your way back. Anyway, Enough stalling you guys, please enjoy reading a double length Chapter Six! Feedback of any kind is greatly appreciated!**_

Daimlon was peering out the window to the harbor, looking out at the beautiful morning in front of him. He had his arms crossed, and was lightly drumming his fingers against his upper arm. He was observing the beginning stages of the test preparations taking place, with targets being stacked out by the ramp near the Supply Depot. He ceased his drumming, and reached for his tablet. He sifted through it until he came across the weather report for the day. High chance of moderate rain, with wind speeds approaching twenty knots, a relatively small storm. Things appeared calm at the moment, but there were small signs of the approaching storm. The morning sky was red, a strong breeze flowed from the east, and the birds were flying much lower than usual, all common indicators of impending poor weather.

He decided to go back to his seat, placing his tablet back in his jacket pocket. He gave out a decent yawn. Daimlon was anything but a morning person, and having just finished his morning routine, he was still drowsy. He sat in silence, staring off into space as he thought briefly. His eyes squinted as he realized something was seriously wrong with his office. He reached for his tablet again, skimming to the Construction tab, and paged Nonna.

Nothing happened. He waited for at least fifteen seconds before growing impatient, pressing the page button again. Still nothing happened. As much as Daimlon wanted to spam the button, he knew she was likely busy making his life easier. He let out a sigh as he navigated to the Operations tab. He noticed a new side tab within it, labelled 'Air Patrols'. Intrigued, he decided to take a look. He was rather pleased to find he could alter the base's air patrols in whatever way he desired from this new tab, able to change duration, frequency, range, and course of reconnaissance flights. They had eight scout aircraft available, with a twenty minute service period between flights, covering a three hundred kilometer radius around the base.

After satisfying his curiosity, he put his tablet away. He calmly interlocked his fingers, resting them on his desk, as he began to think to himself.

Nonna finally appeared in her white puff of smoke. "Sorry for the delay, I was held up. What do you need?" Nonna asked after explaining herself.

Daimlon just looked at her with a blank look. "I just want to put in a requisition order for a tea maker." Daimlon said.

Nonna raised an eyebrow. "A tea maker..?" She asked in a curious tone.

"Yes. A tea maker." He said simply.

"Why do you need a tea maker?" Nonna asked, crossing her arms.

Daimlon just looked at her with a serious face. "I.. Really like tea in the morning, okay?" He explained calmly.

"Understandable, but why not a coffee maker for the mornings?" Nonna questioned.

Daimlon leaned back in his chair as he sighed. "I just don't like coffee.. That simple." He said softly, his eyes looking away from Nonna.

Nonna couldn't put her finger on it, but something was different about him. She disregarded it for the time being. "What kind of tea would you like with your tea maker?" She asked, as she prepped her clipboard, ready to write on it.

"Just give me the standard green tea. Put the tea maker on a stand over in the far corner of the room." He said as he continued to stare off at nowhere in particular.

Nonna scribbled away on her clipboard for a second or two. "It should be ready soon." She said. "Is that all?" Nonna asked, lowering her clipboard.

Daimlon looked up at her with calm eyes. "Yes. That will be all, thank you." He said appreciatively.

Nonna did not dissipate as Daimlon expected her to. She just looked at him for several seconds.

"Are you alright, Daimlon? You seem a little.. Off." She asked, somewhat concerned.

Daimlon just gave her a weak smile. "Yes, i'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all." He said.

Nonna flew closer to him, hovering only a foot away from his face. "Did you not sleep well?" She asked.

"Could've used an extra hour or two, but I'll be fine." He explained, maintaining his smile.

Nonna just smiled back at him. "Alright, just make sure you go to bed early tonight. A tired Admiral is never a good thing." She said calmly.

"Don't worry, I will. I appreciate your concern, though." Daimlon said as he readjusted himself in his seat, sitting up straight.

"No problem. See you later." She said cheerfully as she dissipated in her veil of white smoke.

Daimlon interlocked his fingers, and placed them on his desk, lowering his head as he began to think to himself. Within fifteen minutes the tea maker Daimlon requested was resting on a stand in the corner to his left across the room. Sitting next to the tea maker on the stand were six separate handle-less tea cups stacked on top of each other. He immediately got up and grabbed the tea pot, and filled it with water in his bathroom sink as it was the only sink in the building. He placed the pot back in it's place and began brewing a fresh pot of green tea.

He stood there, waiting for his tea to brew. He had his tea cup in his hand, eagerly waiting for it to finish. While he was waiting, he was still thinking to himself. On a whim, he set his cup down, and walked over to his desk. He reached for the, so far untouched, intercom system that sat on the far right side of his desk. Daimlon pressed the button down and spoke into it clearly. "Jintsuu, please report to my office. Jintsuu, to my office." He could hear the echoes of his own voice penetrating the walls of the building, as his voice was broadcast across the base through loudspeakers. He immediately released the button, and returned to his tea making station.

The tea finally finished brewing, and he poured himself a cup. Steam billowed out of it fiercely as he took it back to his seat. He sat waiting patiently, for both his tea to cool down, and a knock on the door to be heard. By the time there was a knock on his door, the steam had calmed to gentle wisps crawling from the cup.

"Come in." He said as he perked up in his seat.

Jintsuu stepped through the door gently. Her eyes perked up the way Asashio's had the day before, calmly skimming over the new additions to the office. She quickly returned her attention to Daimlon. "You..You called for me?" She asked nervously. She kept her arms close to her body, and had her shoulders slumped slightly.

"Yes, I did. I wanted to go through the schedule for your tests with you. Feel free to help yourself to some tea." He said calmly, as he waved his hand in the direction of the tea maker.

She hesitated for a few moments before gently stepping over to the tea maker. While she poured herself a cup of tea, Daimlon reached into his desk to find the official schedule for the entire week. Jintsuu had a seat, resting her cup on the edge of Daimlon's desk. Daimlon pulled the sheet out of his drawer, closing the drawer after doing so, and handed it to Jintsuu. He then pulled up the sheet on his computer to follow along with her.

"So, today, as you know, is your accuracy test. Fairly self explanatory, do you have any questions?" He began to explain as he looked over to her, to find her staring intently at the sheet he had handed her.

"No." She said gently, as she continued to stare at the sheet.

He grabbed his cup and took a sip of his tea, which he found to be an excellent cup of tea, before setting it back down and turning back to his computer. "Alright, tomorrow we have your agility test." He said as he turned back to her. "Basically, we're going to set up a course that you're going to run through while timed. The course will be lined with marker buoys laid out forming a lane, and you have to run it as fast you can while staying within the marked area, obviously a lower time is better. Any questions regarding that test?" He asked.

"No." She said, taking a sip of her tea.

"The day after that, is an adaptability test. I don't want to say much on it, but expect parameters to change." He said as he grabbed his cup of tea, but refrained from taking another sip.

"Wh..What do you mean?" She asked calmly, looking up at him.

"All i'm going to say is that you should expect more than you're told. Telling you anything more would defeat the purpose of the test." He said, keeping even the broad details to himself. He took a sip from the cup before setting it down again.

"...I see." She said simply, looking back to her sheet.

"The day after that, you will take a written exam. It will test your knowledge extensively in all forms of combat." He explained.

Jintsuu looked up at him. "H-How long will the test be?" She asked softly.

Daimlon bit the inside of his lip gently as he thought. "That's to be determined, but so far we're looking at at least five pages of questions, with each question more difficult than the last." He said. He allowed a brief pause to elapse by taking a sip of his tea, enabling her to voice any further concerns. "Any more questions on the exam?" He asked

She just shook her head gently while she continued to eye the sheet of paper.

"Very well. The day after is the unit cohesion test." He cleared his throat briefly before continuing. "It's already been determined that you will command a two person team including yourself, and Asashio. The two of you will run a firing course, and it will be up to you to optimally clear the course with the most targets hit in the least amount of time. This test is designed to get a feel for your leadership qualities as well was your efficiency as part of a team. Any questions?" He said as he placed one leg on his knee, leaning back in his chair slightly.

Jintsuu calmly took a sip of her tea. "N-No questions." She said after she removed the cup from her lips, placing the empty cup on the edge of Daimlon's desk.

Daimlon looked back at his computer screen to see which test was next. "Next, we have an evasion test." He began to explain, immediately turning to face her. "Fairly self-explanatory, but you'll be asked to evade practice shells and torpedoes, possibly at the same time." He said, keeping a detail or two to himself.

"I have no questions." She stated as she looked at him.

"Good. Then we have the final test. This will mix elements of every other test into one, and assess your ability to utilize the various abilities that were tested on the fly in an actual combat scenario. It will be, by far, the most difficult test of the week." He said strongly. He looked at her with a stone cold face. "Do you have any questions on the final?" He asked.

"N-Not at the moment.. No." She said.

Daimlon paused for several seconds. He sat up straight again, removing his leg from his ankle as he did. "Good. I will now ask you to answer a couple questions." He said, as he began digging in his desk drawer again. He removed a sheet of paper with a few questions on it. The sheet had each of the test subjects with a series of numbers, one through ten, under each subject. He handed the sheet to Jintsuu, along with a pen. "I want you to rate how you think you'll do on each test. One being you think you'll do incredibly poorly, while ten is the exact opposite. Circle the number that indicates how well you think you'll perform." He said, as he relaxed and began to observe Jintsuu.

"O-Okay." She said calmly, as she began looking the sheet over, and began to think about each topic.

Nonna appeared a few moments later. She hesitated briefly. "Am I interrupting?" She asked politely.

"No, not at all. What's up?" He said as he looked up at Nonna.

"This is just your ten minute warning that construction of a ship will be completed soon." She said professionally, looking back at Daimlon.

He smiled at her. "Oh yeah, I was looking forward to that one." He said, excited to meet his new ship.

He looked back at Jintsuu briefly, only to find she was extending her hand out, holding the sheet in front of Daimlon, declaring she was finished.

"Done? Those are your final answers?" He asked, making sure she was certain about her responses.

"Yes." She said in a simple tone.

He grabbed the sheet of paper, and immediately planted it on his desk face down. "Alright, let's go welcome our new ship." He said as he stretched his arms while he sat.

"I can't join you this time, my hands are tied with test prep." Nonna explained as she checked her clipboard, scribbling on it a little.

"Understandable. Make sure you introduce yourself to her at one point or another." Daimlon advised, as he glanced up at Nonna.

"I'll be sure to do that. See you soon, Admiral." Nonna said, immediately dissipating in her cloud of white smoke.

Jintsuu began to stand from seat. "There was one more thing I wanted to tell you." Daimlon said. Jintsuu immediately stopped, and sat back down.

"What is it?" She asked as she looked at him.

"About today's test... We're expecting a storm which may hit us during your test. We're not going to cancel it, but I just wanted to bring that to your attention so it wasn't a surprise." He said softly.

"W-What will the conditions be like?" She asked as she placed her hands in her lap.

"According to the weather report, expect moderate rain, gusts as strong as twenty knots, and swells as large as two and half meters." He explained.

Her eyes dropped to the floor as she began to visualize the conditions in her head. She became visibly discouraged as she thought about it. Daimlon couldn't help but to speak up. "Don't worry, we'll apply a small boost to your score for operating in stormy conditions." He said reassuringly. He immediately slapped himself mentally.

Jintsuu looked up at him with soft eyes. "You will?" She asked.

"Of course. It wouldn't be a fair judgement otherwise." He stated, leaning back in his chair slightly.

Jintsuu gave a soft smile. "...T-Thank you.. Admiral." She said softly, averting her eyes away from Daimlon.

"Don't mention it." He muttered, just loudly enough for her to hear, as he crossed his arms.

"Now, let's go to the Construction Yard." He said as he stood up.

Jintsuu stood from her seat, holding her empty cup in her hand as she looked at Daimlon. "Um.. W-what do you want me to do with this?" She asked politely.

"Just set it in a separate stack of it's own next to the tea maker. I'll have it washed soon." Daimlon said as he started working his way around the desk.

Jintsuu set her cup upside down on the opposite side of the tea maker from the clean stack. The two of them walked out the door and headed over to the Construction Yard. The air was thick with moisture, and the clouds prevented most of the sunlight from reaching the ground. As far as Daimlon was concerned, there was no question about it anymore, it was definitely going to start raining within the hour. Walking down toward the base, Daimlon could see the test was almost finished being prepared. No more targets were stacked out on the harbor, as they were all set up properly, only their evasion parameters needed to be set before they were ready.

They patiently waited on the bench, watching the fairies tweak the targets. Asashio was also out on the water, assisting with whatever she could to help the process go along quicker. Jintsuu broke the silence. "When does.. My test begin?" She asked, looking straight ahead toward the harbor.

"After we meet our new ship, we're just waiting for a green light from Regina. Once Regina gives us the green light, you'll head out and your test will begin. Hopefully we can beat the weather." He said as he planted his leg on his knee, looking straight ahead. Daimlon and Jintsuu sat in silence for the remainder of the time.

As the sounds emanating from the Construction Yard ceased, the pair stood up and walked over to the large door. The Construction Yard opened it's doors slowly. The two brushed past the curtain that hung in front of them, stepping into the dark room.

The lights flickered on, revealing a girl the same size as Jintsuu. In fact, much to Daimlon's surprise, her uniform was almost identical to Jintsuu's as well. She had strong brown eyes, and shoulder length black hair, with small twin tails on either side of her head.

Almost immediately, he heard Jintsuu gasp audibly behind him, and at the same time the new girl smiled brightly. "Sendai!" "Jintsuu!" They both exclaimed to each other in unison. Jintsuu immediately started fast walking over to her with an enormous smile on her face, the largest Daimlon had ever seen on her. The other girl began walking to meet her, they embraced each other fully.

_'Sendai, huh?'_ He thought to himself, making the connection between Jintsuu and her ship class. They mumbled back and forth to each other, inaudible to Daimlon, as they persisted in their embrace. Daimlon almost felt like he was intruding on something special, so he decided to wait patiently, and let them have their moment.

"It's so good to see you." Jintsuu muttered with a smile still plastered on her face. She could feel her own hot breath against the fabric on Sendai's shoulder.

Sendai raised her hand to cradle the back of Jintsuu's head. "It's nice to see you too." She said softly. "How are you doin'? Everything working out for ya?" Sendai asked with a smile on her face, speaking almost directly into Jintsuu's ear.

"I'm doing good, and i'm much better now that you're here." Jintsuu said as she began to feel tears well up.

"Glad to hear it..." Sendai said calmly. "Everyone treating you good?" She asked.

"Yes." Jintsuu responded with a slight nod.

"Good, I didn't want to get my hands dirty on my first day." Sendai murmured close to her ear, tightening her hug around Jintsuu slightly.

"Just try not to get yourself into too much trouble too quick, okay?" Jintsuu joked.

"Well, you know me. It's only a matter of time." Sendai stated softly. They stood there in silence for a few moments, refusing to let go of each other. "How's the Admiral here?"

Jintsuu buried herself deeper in their embrace and dropped her gaze to the floor, still wearing a smile. "...You'll like him." She said gently, almost in a whisper.

"Why don't you introduce me, eh?" Sendai asked softly with a smile.

"O-Okay." Jintsuu murmured, slowly withdrawing her smile. After a few more seconds of silence, Jintsuu broke off from the embrace, immediately turning to face Daimlon. "I-I'm sorry for delaying. Sendai, this is Admiral Daimlon. Daimlon, this is my sister ship, Sendai." She said softly.

"Just leave the night battles to me, Admiral!" Sendai exclaimed, raising her fist to point her thumb at herself.

Daimlon was somewhat relieved to see they were finished with their intimate moment. He immediately walked forward and stood within arms' reach of Sendai and Jintsuu. "Pleased to meet you, Sendai. You can call me Don if you wish. I assume by your comment that you're equipped with night fighting technology?" Daimlon said strongly.

"Nope, but I love night battles, and there's no one better at night fighting than me!" She said proudly.

Daimlon smiled at her. "Good to hear, I'll be sure to make note of that and get you some night battles." He said.

"You better, it would be a waste of my talents." Sendai remarked with a smile, crossing her arms as she spoke.

"I see you don't lack for confidence. What makes you so confident in yourself, Sendai?" Daimlon asked.

"Forget me. I want to know why I should offer myself to you, _first_. Tell me about yourself." Sendai said playfully, giving him a quick poke on the chest with a smile on her face. Immediately after poking him, she put her finger up to her chin, waiting for his response eagerly.

Daimlon hesitated for a few moments. He was completely unprepared for the question, but was rather pleased to hear it asked. Sendai was the first one to question him about his ability instead of the other way around. He gave a faint smile. "Sounds fair to me..." He said, briefly gathering his thoughts for a few moments before speaking in a proud tone. "I am Admiral Jeremy Daimlon, born in the United States, moving to Japan in my early teens, I've always strove to follow in my father's footsteps to become a naval officer. A couple months ago, I accomplished that by graduating from the best Naval Academy in the world at the top of my class. I now seek to command the best fleet in the Pacific, and bring the Abyssal forces to their knees. To do that, I will need more than just my own abilities. I'll need the finest assortment of ships that anyone could ask for. I don't need perfection, but I do need ships that constantly seek to better themselves, are fearless in the face of the enemy, and are unrelenting in combat. If you can offer that, Sendai, I extend my hand and ask you to join me." Daimlon spoke proudly, his eyes unwavering with stunning ferocity.

Sendai looked at him with a serious face. "Damn, you must rehearse that in the mirror every morning." She joked.

Daimlon was dumbstruck by her response, offering no words. Sendai smiled at Daimlon's reaction. "Relax, I'm fuckin' with ya... Though, I have to say, that was pretty convincing." She said.

Daimlon smiled back slightly at hearing she was joking around. _'She's so unlike her sister...'_ He thought to himself. "So are you in?" He asked.

"Hell yeah I am. Just point me at the bad guys, I wanna show you what I got!" She exclaimed eagerly, pulling her fist up in front of her face.

Daimlon raised his hands, motioning for her to slow down. "Relax, we're still building our forces and staying quiet for the time being. We will continue to do so until we get our official orders. Until then we will run expeditions, however, there won't be an expedition today due to weather conditions." He stated calmly.

Sendai just lowered her fist and gave a sigh of disappointment. "That bites." She murmured just loud enough for everyone else to hear. "Oh well, I'm sure I can find a way to keep myself entertained!" She said with a smile.

Daimlon just gave her a smile back. "Good to hear, I'd hate for you to get bored." He said sarcastically. "Come on, we'll give you the run around and show you where everything is." He said as he headed back for the curtain that hung over the entrance. Both Jintsuu and Sendai trailed behind him, stepping outside toward the rest of the base.

* * *

The base was covered in a veil of grey as the rain poured down. Visibility was reduced by roughly half, and the gusts were starting to get stronger. Daimlon stepped out the front door of his HQ with a solid white rain poncho on, draped over his officer's uniform. Regina floated over his shoulder, wearing a similar yellow rain poncho.

"I've already told Jintsuu to get ready, she should be in the Staging Area now getting prepped." She spoke louder than usual to talk over the roar of the rain.

"Where's the observation tower you were talking about?" He asked, speaking louder as well. The slack on his poncho was blowing in the wind as he waited for instruction.

"On the end of the fourth docking arm from here, to your left." She stated.

Daimlon looked to his left, and found the tower she was talking about in the distance. He began to trudge his way over to the tower, his feet splashing on standing water as he went. The rain beat relentlessly against his poncho, growing in intensity slightly. He soon found himself walking down the docking arm that contained the tower, which was made of steel and stood roughly fifteen meters tall. He took his first steps on the staircase, his shoes clanked on the metal staircase as he went. He reached the top to find a spacious peak, able to fit six people with ease.

Daimlon and Regina both removed their hoods as they reached the top, which was covered with a roof. Nonna and Asashio were waiting patiently for them, each wearing a colored rain poncho as well with their hoods down, blue for Asashio and green for Nonna. Normally he wouldn't want any other ships present, but he made an exception for Asashio since she was so involved with the process itself since it started.

"Commander." Asashio stated in acknowledgement.

Daimlon nodded at her, and calmly stepped toward them, stopping just in front of Nonna and Asashio. "Everything is set up properly, we're just waiting for your signal." Nonna said simplistically.

Asashio offered him a flare gun. He looked at her with a serious face. "Asashio, I want you to keep track of her score. Can you do that for me?" He said, pulling out a clipboard from under his poncho, holding it up to Asashio.

"With pleasure, sir." She said proudly as the two executed the trade. She removed the pen from the clip on the clipboard, and made a touch or two on the page before her. Daimlon gripped the flare gun and stepped forward to the edge of the tower, and observed the area around him. With only small support beams for the roof blocking small parts of his view, he could see the whole harbor from his position. He could see Jintsuu standing out on the water, only able to make out her long brown hair and peach colored uniform. Under the logic that one wouldn't be available in a real battle, Daimlon decided she wouldn't be permitted to use a poncho of her own during the test.

"You know how to score her test properly, right? Just like we discussed." He said, glaring out at Jintsuu as he spoke to Asashio.

"Of course." Asashio said as she took a spot standing next to Daimlon on his right, looking over Jintsuu as well.

"We should begin soon, I would hate to be standing out there waiting for too long." Regina said as she cleaned the raindrops off her glasses.

Nonna took a position floating over Daimlon's left shoulder. "I think Regina and I should keep track of score as well, just to make sure it's counted properly." She suggested.

"I like that idea. Go ahead." Daimlon said with a slight nod.

Regina took a spot floating between Asashio and Daimlon, clipboard ready.

"Everyone ready?" Daimlon asked, holding the flare gun out in front of him. He gripped it firmly with both hands, making sure to maintain trigger discipline. He slowly cocked the hammer back until it was locked in the ready position, making an audible click.

"Ready." Nonna stated, clipboard in hand.

Asashio just gave a slight nod, while Regina just adjusted her glasses.

"Alright, let's get started." Daimlon said.

Jintsuu stood out on the water, completely drenched from the rain that poured down around her as she bobbed up and down in the large swells. She flicked her soaked hair behind her, trying to keep it out of her face. Her hands were trembling as she stood out in the harbor. She had an obnoxious lump in her throat, her heart beat heavily, and she felt as though she was going to be sick, but she could feel a strong sense of determination pushing her on. She faced the docks, staring up at the tower, waiting for the signal to be given. She could see a couple people standing in the tower watching over her, but couldn't identify who was who.

A strong gust of wind caused her to wince with her right eye until she could shield it with her arm. The suspense was killing her, growing increasingly uneasy with each passing second. She fidgeted with her fingers, and her breathing became heavier._ 'Relax. Take a deep breath'_ She thought to herself. The deep breath helped a little, but not much. She perked up as she saw motion in the tower. Her heart began to beat faster as she anticipated the signal. With a faint thump, she saw a small flash at the tower. A bright red flare burned a streak up through the grey sky, accompanied by the sound of a faint sizzle.

With the suspense behind her, she attempted to lock up her remaining anxiety, trying to block it out. She instantly turned a one-eighty as fast as she could, bending her knees and leaning into her turn, with a firm scowl written across her face. Her hair flung behind her from the momentum of her turn as she finished, and she raised her arms and began taking aim, completely focused on the targets off in the distance. She took her time aiming, as there was no time limit, making sure she factored in every possible variable.

She waited patiently for the swell she was on to peak. With a loud bang from her cannon, she let her first shell loose on the nearest target. Using tracer ammunition, she followed her shell all the way to the end, and watched it impact with a crash into the metal target, causing a bright spark to shine as it penetrated through. She felt a surge of determination and confidence as she smirked slightly. She quickly wiped the smirk off and continued scowling at the remaining nineteen targets before her. She took aim at the nearest target, and as her swell peaked at the top, fired a single shot at it.

There was a strong gust of wind just as she fired, and she watched her tracer veer to the right of the target due to the wind. She quickly readjusted her aim to compensate for the gust and fired another shot. It smashed it's way through the target at eight hundred meters per second. With drops of rain pouring down her face, she began to take aim at the next target. She lined up the shot, waited for the swell to peak, and released her shell. It was dead on, but the target itself veered to the right, dodging the shot.

She squinted her eyes in disbelief with her mouth slightly agape. She shook it off and put on a determined look. She lined up three cannons onto the target, one dead on, one to the right, the other to the left. She fired all three simultaneously. The target attempted to veer to the left, but one of her rounds crashed right through it.

So far all the target she had hit were in the shorter ranges, and she was working her way out of her comfort zone quickly. She lined up the next target and prepared five of her cannons at once, and fired off a single shot at the top of the swell. It missed, but it gave her feedback on how to adjust her guns. She immediately let another shot loose, only to have the shot go directly over the target as the swell it rode on dipped. She could feel her once bolstered confidence waning. She readjusted again, and fired her shot, only to have the target dodge it by veering left, slightly faster than the previous target. She felt the anxiety she caged up earlier rattle her from within as she tried to maintain composure.

She was permitted only one hundred shells of ammunition, having expended ten rounds already for only the three easiest targets, she knew she had to step it up. She prepared to fire three simultaneously again, just as she had before. She released her shots, one of them striking the target.

Her heart was beating loudly in her chest as she finished the short range targets. She was now at the mid-range targets, they were smaller than the previous ones, and were less stable in the swells. They moved about more unpredictably than the others, overall a significant step up in difficulty, especially in a storm. She began to line up her guns with the target, a crack of lightning piercing the sky over the targets as she did.

Jintsuu fired off two shells at the small target, one narrowly missing while the other was off by quite a margin. She could feel her anxiety creeping back up on her as she fired another volley of two, both missing once again. Her guts wrenched violently as she began to realize the difficulty of this test. She lined up her guns, and after waiting for a brief reload, fired five shots all at once. They spread out evenly as they cruised for the target. The target reacted, shifting to the right to avoid the fire, but a round struck the outer edge of it.

Daimlon crossed his arms as he continued to observe the bright tracers scream down range at their intended targets. It was obvious to Daimlon that Jintsuu was nearing the end of her rope. He watched a full salvo of seven tracers streak right past their intended target, with no hits, as it dodged the incoming fire. He could almost see her composure shattering through her body language, as she was visibly nowhere near as calm and collected as she was when they began. She fired another full salvo, all round missing once again.

"Five targets. mark her down for a five percent hit rate. This test is already over. When she runs out of ammunition, I want one of you two to go over to her and tell her she is to get off the water, and get herself ready for tomorrow's test." Daimlon stated, speaking to Regina and Nonna, his arms still crossed.

"Understood." Nonna said softly. They continued to watch as Jintsuu hopelessly fired salvo after salvo at the target.

Jintsuu ran out of ammunition, and she knew she had done terribly. Her heart was in pieces as it pounded away. Her insides were in shreds as she felt tears begin to well up. She stood there in disbelief as the rain continued to fall on her.

"Jintsuu." A voice spoke up behind her. Jintsuu turned around to look at Nonna wearing her green rain poncho. Nonna just looked at her sullenly before speaking again once she had Jintsuu's attention. "You scored a five percent on the accuracy test. With the boost given for stormy conditions, it was bumped to an eight percent. Daimlon would like you to go ahead and get yourself dried off and begin preparing for tomorrow's test." Nonna said, looking into her eyes.

Jintsuu just looked at her for several seconds before looking down at the water. "O..Okay." She said, her voice cracked slightly when she started to speak. With that, Nonna went back up to the tower. Jintsuu took a deep breath as she felt the dagger dig deeper into her chest. She shoved off for the Staging Area to be disarmed for the day. She was soaked head to toe as she stepped back onto the concrete, but that was the least of her concerns at the moment. Water dripped off her steadily as she walked up the steps, thinking about where she went wrong during the test.

* * *

[The next day]

The storm had subsided, and the sun shone brightly over the base, with calm waters as far as the eye could see. The sun hung high in the sky as it was approaching noon, and a cool breeze flowed through the humid air. It was tranquil across the base except for the buoys being laid out for Jintsuu's agility and speed test. The prep work was almost finished, all that remained were to lay down the final few dozen buoys that marked the path.

Daimlon was in his office alone, assessing data that had been gathered by Jintsuu's accuracy test. He made sure the accuracy test would be difficult, but he never expected her to only score hits on five of the targets. He scratched the stubble on his jaw as he flipped over to the page he had on today's agility test. _'Perhaps... I am being a bit harsh.'_ He thought to himself, realizing the course he set up would likely cause even a Destroyer like Asashio or Maikaze to struggle. While he intentionally made the tests to be too difficult for Jintsuu to pass to induce stress on her, he didn't want her to fail outright. Having her fail outright would give him no insight into her abilities, and would only cause her confidence to further disintegrate, deepening the very problem he was trying to mend.

Daimlon couldn't change today's agility test, but he could make the adaptability test significantly easier. He decided he would make it a legitimate test, easy enough that Jintsuu would have a fighting chance, but hard enough that it still strained her abilities. He put a reminder on the note sheet for the adaptability test, as the details were still to be decided.

He clicked his pen and set it down, sitting back in his seat as he took a deep breath. He turned to his computer, and started navigating through the base's systems. He opened the Construction tab, and began browsing through the various upgrades that were available to his base. There was a small search bar at the top, where he typed 'Resource'. It filtered the results down to the four unique resource generators that were found on the base. Each had to be upgraded independently, and would cost six hundred of each resource besides the one it produced. If he wanted to upgrade all four, which he did, it would cost him a grand total of 1800 of each resource.

He started doing the math in his head as he stared at his screen. _'With a rate of one resource every six minutes for every generator, that would mean ten resources per hour, which is easily two hundred and forty of each resource produced a day. Double that for the upgrades, and it would take only four days for the generators to pay for their own upgrades, everything after is clean profit.' _Daimlon thought to himself. He was considering dropping production of ships in favor of improving his economy, so he could produce more ships quicker afterward. He already determined it would take a few days to accrue the resources necessary for the upgrades if expeditions went well. The fact that the upgrades would pay for themselves in just shy of four days was a major selling point for Daimlon.

His mind already made up, he decided to see what else was worth upgrading soon. Just as he went to do so, Regina appeared in the room.

"Jintsuu's test is ready, do you want me to go ahead and have her set sail?" Regina said, adjusting her glasses.

"Of course. Let me wrap up what I'm doing here and I'll meet you and Nonna at the tower shortly." He stated, looking at her.

"Right, see you soon." She said, dissipating as she finished.

He turned his attention back to his computer. He wanted to check on his expedition fleet to see how they were doing. He opened his fleets tab and examined the expedition fleet he had organized earlier in the day. They had been on the water for about three hours now, and offered no reports of enemy presence. Every girl he had, except for Lilly and Jintsuu, was listed in the fleet roster. The panel didn't offer him as much information as he had hoped. With only a small map indicating their position, and a status indicator next to each of the girls in the fleet, he was disappointed with the scarcity of information.

Slightly frustrated, he stood from his seat and started heading out the door, setting his destination for the observation tower.

Jintsuu stepped into the Staging Area to get ready for her test. She was already a nervous wreck, terrified of repeating her utter failure from the day before. Her heart was beating heavily, and felt a mild pain in her chest. After the fairies equipped her with all equipment, she set out onto the harbor. She cruised her way into the sunlight and began to examine the course that was laid out for her. Marked with small buoys, most of them were a bright orange, however, at intersections there were green buoys that ran only one direction, making it easy to tell which set of buoys she was supposed to follow at a glance.

Her concentration was broken as she heard Daimlon's recognizable voice being projected over loudspeaker. "The starting line has been marked with large flags. Head over to the flagged buoys and face away from the tower." He echoed from the tower. She looked up at the tower to see a single person standing in the middle, with two fairies floating over each shoulder. She turned away to look at the course, trying to find the flagged buoys, which she did after a brief search.

She gently pulled herself in between the two lines of buoys, centering herself as she stood in front of the two marked buoys, facing away from the tower. A few seconds of silence fell as she waited. "You are to run this course as fast as you can. You will begin when I say start, and the timer will be ticking from that moment on, stopping only when you complete one full lap of the course. If you fall outside the area marked by the buoys, a time penalty will be applied against you. If you understand, and are ready to begin, give a thumbs up. If you have any concerns about the test, raise your hand." Daimlon's voice echoed loudly through the air.

Jintsuu just chinned down as she fiercely fought her own anxiety, trying to suppress it as much as she could. She bent her knees slightly, and bent over a little to lower her center of gravity, and spread her arms out to maintain proper balance. She extended her left hand out as far as she could and gave the thumbs up.

A dreadful delay transpired, allowing Jintsuu's anxiety to begin rising up again. "Begin!" She heard, and immediately started down the course as fast she could. She quickly approached the first turn, a sharp ninety degree turn to the right. She swept her way to the left side of the lane in preparation, and slowed down just before she executed the turn. She executed her turn, increasing engine power mid way through as she leaned heavily into her turn. She was quickly approaching the border of the boundaries, but assessed that she should could get away with keeping her current engine power. She almost clipped one of the buoys as she straightened out, immediately maxing out her engine power.

She could see off in the distance the next turn would be a left turn. She slowly moved over to hug the right side of the buoys as close as possible. Once she was closer, she could see it was a one-eighty degree turn, a rather sharp one. She reversed her engines as she came close to the turn, and cut the turn sharply. She idled her engine as she rounded the corner, leaning into her turn. She came face to face with a long straight away, but found herself drifting toward the right side, and would soon be outside of the border. She angled her engines further into her turn to the left and increased her engine power to full, still leaning into the turn. She felt her stomach drop as the buoys came closer and closer. She felt a buoy brush against her arm as she finally straightened out. She lost some momentum from sliding across the water briefly, but quickly built up the speed again as she began to examine her next actions.

In front of her was a long straight away with two sets of green buoys running across the path in front. She ignored the green buoys for the time being as they didn't pertain to her yet, and looked far beyond to see another ninety degree right turn. She drifted herself to the left until she was hugging the edge of the buoys again, moving as fast as she could. She quickly approached the turn, reversing her engines. She then realized the buoys choked closer together, halving the width of the lane, just after the turn. It was too late, she couldn't slow down any faster than she already was, and executed her turn.

She turned herself almost sideways, facing into her turn at max engine power, trying to avoid going outside the boundary line at all cost. Her attempt to salvage the turn was futile, as she couldn't keep up with the bottleneck in the buoys. She slipped outside the boundary line and passed three buoys before swerving back inside the buoys. Her heart stung as she could almost feel the time penalty being branded onto her.

"Well, there's the first fifteen second penalty." Daimlon said, his arms crossed as he watched Jintsuu navigate the course laid out in front of him. He almost felt sick to his stomach knowing her time would be atrocious, as the course only got harder from there. Just as he expected, Jintsuu failed to stay within the course on the next turn, and the turn after that. He continued to watch as she struggled to cope with the course, performing worse and worse with each passing turn. She continued to try to navigate the course as fast as she could, desperate to try and make up for lost time.

He looked at Nonna to his right, who was holding on to a stopwatch. "This is... Difficult to watch." She said, seeing Daimlon look at her out of the corner of her eye.

He paused for a moment. "It has to be done." He said calmly, returning his gaze to the tower of water being kicked up behind Jintsuu as she failed yet another turn.

"She looked devastated after yesterday's test... I'm worried about her." Regina said, floating to Daimlon's right with a clipboard in hand, keeping track of how many times she fell outside the buoys.

Neither Daimlon nor Nonna responded, but simply continued to watch. Daimlon wasn't paying attention to the test anymore, but was instead completely lost in thought. He wanted to cushion the blow to Jintsuu from this test, but he needed to do it in a fashion that wouldn't relieve too much pressure. He wasn't sure how to do it. Anything he thought of would make it obvious that he curved the test for her, or would be counterproductive to the entire point of the tests by relieving the pressure off Jintsuu. Jintsuu was nearing the finish line as he continued to scramble for an excuse to curve the test.

Daimlon arrived at his answer just as Jintsuu was nearing the final turns. "Lie to her. Tell her we had Asashio run the course, who only ran it three minutes faster than she did." Daimlon stated. "Mark her off for a sixty three percent." He said. He looked to Nonna, who was already looking at him with a shocked look, giving her a stone cold face, ensuring she knew he was serious.

After making sure he was completely serious, Nonna wiped the shocked look off her face and replaced it with a warm smile. "Will do." Nonna said.

Jintsuu flew past the finish line, and stopped. She immediately chinned down, assuming a grim posture, sure she had totally flunked the test yet again. Daimlon could almost feel the despair that radiated from her.

"Calculate her final time, and then sugar coat the shit out of it." Daimlon said with a smile. The two fairies consulted one another and began to tally up her total. Once the final time was tallied, Nonna set out to deliver the results to Jintsuu. Daimlon pinched the back of her shirt just as she floated outside of the tower. She looked back at him, puzzled. "This stays between us, no one else is to know this happened." He said loudly, stressing his words. He let go of Nonna's shirt as he finished.

She smiled at him. "Of course." She said, returning to fly forward toward Jintsuu. With that, Daimlon turned around and started down the metal steps of the tower to head back to his office. Regina watched him leave, a faint smile on her face.

* * *

**BOOKMARK: HALFWAY POINT ****\- IF YOU WANT TO STOP HERE, USE THIS AS A POINT OF REFERENCE.**

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**BOOKMARK: HALFWAY POINT ****\- IF YOU WANT TO STOP HERE, USE THIS AS A POINT OF REFERENCE.**

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**BOOKMARK: HALFWAY POINT ****\- IF YOU WANT TO STOP HERE, USE THIS AS A POINT OF REFERENCE.**

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**BOOKMARK: HALFWAY POINT ****\- IF YOU WANT TO STOP HERE, USE THIS AS A POINT OF REFERENCE.**

* * *

**BOOKMARK: HALFWAY POINT - IF YOU WANT TO STOP HERE, USE THIS AS A POINT OF REFERENCE. **

* * *

It was dark, roughly 2000 hours, and the rest of the day was uneventful. The expedition had returned several hours after the test with only a mediocre find. Maikaze and Lilly had their daily dance sessions, Daimlon and Asashio locked themselves away in his office for the rest of the day, and Sendai took a nap as soon as she got back.

Jintsuu was completely wiped out. She got almost no sleep the prior night, too distracted by her performance on the accuracy test. She was in her room in the Crew Quarters, wearing pink pajamas as she was about to slip into her futon. She was standing in front of a body mirror that hung beside her door, bending over slightly to brush her long hair before going to bed.

There was a knock on the door, and within moments Sendai burst the door open and invited herself in. "Good evening, Jintsuu!" She exclaimed. She was initially wearing an enormous smile, but wiped it off when she looked at Jintsuu. She tilted her head slightly with a curious look on her face. "You're already going to bed?" Sendai asked.

Jintsuu paused for a few seconds at Sendai's intrusion, but continued brushing as if nothing had happened shortly after. "Yeah. I didn't take a nap like you did." She said simply, completely exhausted.

Sendai scooted over next to Jintsuu and wrapped an arm around her neck. "Hey, that's not my fault." Sendai said with a smile. Sendai ruffled Jintsuu's hair at the top. "How'd your test go today, anyway?" She asked.

Jintsuu swatted Sendai's hand away before she could cause any more damage to her hair. Completely aware of what Sendai was up to, she just sighed, and knelt down in front of the mirror. "Better than I thought. I did... horrendously bad, but still scored a sixty." She stated.

Sendai snatched the brush from Jintsuu's hand, and immediately started tending to her sister ship's hair for her. After all, that was the only reason she messed it up to begin with. "A hell of a lot better than yesterday. Relax, Jintsuu, you're going to ace the next one." Sendai said encouragingly with a smile.

Jintsuu just watched Sendai brush her hair for a few seconds. "I'll definitely give it all I've got." She said calmly.

"Well that's expected, you need to go out there and knock some socks off!" Sendai exclaimed, pointing the brush at Jintsuu through the mirror before continuing to brush.

"I can't ask for more than my best effort." Jintsuu responded, exhaustion prevalent in her voice. Her eyes felt heavy, and she was starting to struggle to keep them open. The brush running against her head helped, however.

"True... Whatever happens, I'll still be here to brush your hair for you any time." Sendai said cheerfully with a smile. She continued to stroke Jintsuu's soft hair, making sure to brush it all evenly.

Jintsuu felt uplifted, knowing that she had Sendai around now. Despite being a care free, overly energetic, and eccentric girl most of the time, she always tried to be the compassionate older sister when she needed to be. Sendai finished brushing Jintsuu's hair, and chucked the brush on top of Jintsuu's dresser. "Thanks, Sendai." Jintsuu said as she stood up.

"No problem at all. You sound totally beat, you goin' to bed now?" Sendai asked as Jintsuu turn to face her.

Jintsuu simply smiled slightly and nodded at her.

"Alright then, I'll let you get the sleep you need for tomorrow. C'mon, bring it in." Sendai said proudly, stretching her arms out for a hug.

Jintsuu wrapped her arms around Sendai firmly. Sendai returned her hug, and ran her hand up and down Jintsuu's back a little. She felt a slight bump across Jintsuu's back. Completely shocked, Sendai broke the hug and gripped Jintsuu's upper arms firmly, looking into her eyes. "You sleep with your bra on!?" She exclaimed.

"Uh, Yeah... Why?" Jintsuu asked innocently.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? Nobody does that! Nobody!" Sendai said loudly, almost shouting.

Jintsuu was a little afraid of Sendai's serious reaction over something so small. "P-People sleep without a bra?" Jintsuu questioned seriously.

"Oh my god." Sendai breathed as she rolled her eyes. "Jintsuu, that's like asking if people eat to survive! It's so obvious!" Sendai lectured. Sendai immediately started grabbing at Jintsuu's top.

"Hey, stop that! What are you doing?" Jintsuu said in a raised voice, fighting Sendai to keep her clothes on.

"Just relax, I'm helping you in your time of need!" Sendai said, struggling against Jintsuu's resistance.

Jintsuu continued to struggle for a solid six seconds before completely giving up, going limp and letting Sendai do what she wanted. She knew Sendai wouldn't back down once she made up her mind, and she really didn't have the energy to resist anyway. Sendai immediately chucked the bra to the side of the room, and even put Jintsuu's top back on for her. "Doesn't that feel so much better!?" Sendai asked with an enormous smile on her face.

Jintsuu just looked at her with a blank expression. "Yep." She said simplistically.

Proud of herself, Sendai nudged Jintsuu over to her futon, and ushered her in. She knelt down beside Jintsuu once she was tucked away in her futon. "Want me to read you a bed time story?" Sendai teased with a smile.

"If I say no, will you go away?" Jintsuu asked, looking for an answer she knew she wasn't going to get.

"Probably not!" Sendai shouted, joking around with Jintsuu.

Jintsuu just stared up at her for a few seconds. "No thanks." She said, just wanting to go to sleep and nothing more.

Sendai just gave her a small laugh. "Alright, fine. If you didn't have a test tomorrow, you'd definitely be getting that story, though." She said, speaking without a hint of dishonesty. Sendai stood up and headed for the door. "Goodnight, Jintsuu." She said as she opened the door, looking back at her.

"Goodnight, Sendai." Jintsuu said, looking at Sendai as she stood there with the door open.

Sendai flicked the light switch off, and shut the door behind her. Jintsuu rolled over to her side, and began to ease herself to sleep. She did have to admit that she was infinitely more comfortable. Despite having her thoughts occupied by the tests, exhaustion closed Jintsuu's eyes and forced her to sleep.

* * *

Daimlon was standing in the tower with Nonna, Regina, and Asashio, his arms crossed firmly. It was a beautiful day, the sun shining bright in a cloud specked sky. A gentle breeze flowed through the air as the sound of cannon shots rang loudly from the area. Jintsuu had just started her test, and was taking aim at some fairly large targets off in the distance. She had taken out a handful of targets, which she found strangely much easier than her accuracy test. They were larger and didn't react to her fire at all. Jintsuu wasn't in a mood to complain about it, however, as she continued to fire away at the targets with a scowl across her face.

"Incoming Battleships, prepare your torpedoes!" An unfamiliar feminine voice shouted over the base's loudspeakers. Just as the voice ended, several wide targets appeared that stuck up just above the water's surface, indicating they were torpedo targets. Four of them popped up at various ranges, each moving at a slow but steady speed.

Jintsuu fired off one last shot at one of the targets off in the distance before bringing her torpedoes to bear. She calculated the lead she would have to give each target on the fly. She fired a single torpedo at each target, and started waiting for hits by switching back to her cannons and letting loose on the targets off in the distance once again.

She knocked down several more targets before the loudspeakers came alive again. "Enemy Destroyers to your right, watch out!" The voice shouted, completely monotone. Jintsuu looked to her right to see that three small targets had appeared at a close range to her right. She quickly took aim and fired at all three in quick succession, burning a round through one of the metal targets. She reloaded her guns, and fired a second volley, hitting the other two targets this time.

She turned her attention back forward to see that only two of the four torpedo targets had a green light illuminating on top, indicating they had been struck by a practice torpedo. The other two targets sunk back below the surface, no longer available as a viable target. Her heart raced as she struggled to keep pace with the test's constant redirection. Despite feeling like she was doing much better this time, she felt as though she wasn't doing good either.

"Heads up, enemy aircraft inbound!" The voice shouted over the loudspeakers.

"To your left, Jintsuu, your left!" Maikaze shouted from the docks. Lilly, Maikaze, Marie, and Sendai were all cheering Jintsuu on this time as she continued to fill the air with the thick smell of gunpowder.

Jintsuu immediately looked up and to her left, sure enough to find a small flight of three aircraft coming in quickly. She readied her AA batteries, and took aim briefly. Once she was confident she would strike at least near the target, she lit the sky up with her three inch AA cannons. They were moving much quicker than she first guessed, only realizing that when they flew past her. She corrected her aim and continued firing at them, leading a little extra. She finally managed to knock one down, but the other two managed to get out of range.

"More enemy Destroyers to your left!" The voice shouted over the loudspeaker, still monotone.

Daimlon continued to watch with a slight smirk on his face. She wasn't hitting as many of the targets as he predicted, but she wasn't doing terribly, and that's all he cared about at the moment. Cannon shots continued to echo through the air as she fired on the mock Destroyer targets.

"This test was well put together, I like it a lot." Asashio stated, a clipboard in hand as she was keeping tabs on targets hit and missed for each portion of the test.

"Another wave of enemy Battleships. Prep torpedoes!" They heard the monotone voice penetrate the air.

"I agree, It's not a one sided beat down anymore." Daimlon said, continuing to observe Jintsuu launch several torpedoes.

Nonna and Regina were both helping to keep score on their clipboards. "She's barely keeping up, it's still too difficult for her." Regina said.

"That's the point, she's not _supposed_ to pass them, remember? We want to see how she handles pressure and stress, the problem was we were laying it on way too quickly." Daimlon said, looking at Regina.

"Enemy Submarine entering the harbor, ready your depth charges!" The monotone voice shouted.

Asashio immediately looked at the paper in front of her funny. "Wait.. I don't have a submarine section on my paper." She said, a little concerned.

"Ignore it, keep track of how she does and add it in by hand. It'll be fine." Daimlon said as he continued to observe Jintsuu.

"Another enemy fleet off in the distance, ready your guns!" The monotone voice shouted over loudspeaker.

"Did you add that in at the last minute, Daimlon? I don't recall us adding any submarines at all." Nonna said, looking up at him puzzled.

Daimlon just returned her looked, a little concerned look on his face. "No, I figured you must have. Regina, was it you?" He said as he felt his heart skip a beat.

"No.. I wouldn't do that without asking you first." Regina said, adjusting her glasses.

"Regina, go check it out, make sure that Submarine isn't real." Daimlon commanded, frankly concerned. Regina dissipated in a white puff of smoke as she teleported back to the Fairy Command Center in the Fairy Quarters, the backbone of all information going through the base. He was hesitant about stopping the test, as he had didn't want to raise a false alarm in case it was some sort of mistake. "Asashio, head down the tower and go ask Marie if she slipped any Submarine targets into the test at the last second, but make sure you pull her away from everyone else so they don't hear." He said.

"Right away." Asashio said, immediately turning and bolting down the metal steps as fast as she could.

He waited anxiously as Nonna stayed to keep track of Jintsuu's score. "More enemy aircraft incoming!" The voice penetrated the air that was thick with tension in the tower.

No more than two minutes later, Daimlon could hear the metal clanking behind him. He turned to see Asashio running up the steps. "She denies altering the test in any way." Asashio said clearly as she topped the steps, breathing a little heavier than usual.

Regina popped back in through her puff of white smoke. "Daimlon, it's real. One of our scout aircraft spotted a dark shadow submerged below the water, it is currently inbound to our harbor, it will be inside the harbor within one minute." She spoke heavily with a dead serious face.

"God dammit." Daimlon said as his heart sank. He wasn't expecting it to be that close to the harbor already. It was the last thing he wanted, the Abyssals to interrupt a test of his, and one of the more important ones at that. He pointed at Nonna. "Raise the alarm and ready all base defenses, I want the harbor guns trained on the Sub's location at all times, it can't harm the base unless it surfaces." He commanded loudly. Nonna simply nodded and dissipated.

He pointed to Regina. "Go tell Jintsuu to get off the water immediately, and load all idle scout aircraft with depth charges and have them intercept it immediately." He shouted. Regina flew out toward Jintsuu without hesitation.

"Commander, send me out there, I can destroy it. I have sonar and depth charges, and I can dodge a torpedo like it's nothing." Asashio said with a heavy tone.

"I can't do that. I'm not going to put more of my ships in danger than necessary, Jintsuu will be safe soon." He reasoned, looking at her with a serious face.

"You and I both know she might be intercepted by that Submarine, it's not far at all." She said, raising her voice a little. The base's alarm was raised at that point, and alarms wailed through the sky, causing everyone not clued in to what was going on to look around curiously. Regina was busy speaking with Jintsuu moments after the alarm was raised.

Daimlon couldn't allow it. "You won't be able to scramble fast enough, by the time you set sail Jintsuu would already be safe, it's pointless." He said fiercely.

Asashio just glared daggers at Daimlon. Daimlon took a deep breath, and planted his hand on her head. "Relax, Asashio. Once Jintsuu is safe, that Submarine can't do anything to harm us or this base." He said, trying to get Asashio to calm down a little.

Nonna returned at that moment. "I've done as you said, the guns are tracking the target." Nonna said as quickly as she could.

Regina was still speaking to Jintsuu, it seemed Regina had to explain to Jintsuu exactly what was happening. Daimlon watched as he saw Jintsuu's eyes widen, stricken with a sense of fear. She nodded at Regina, and immediately started heading toward the Staging Area. It was then that Daimlon could see the small dark shadow loom menacingly into the harbor. His heart began to beat wildly as he assessed it would have plenty of time to line up a shot at her.

He saw a couple seaplanes take off from the seaplane hangar, loaded with depth charges, and begin climbing to a reasonable altitude. He instinctively ran down the steps. "Where are you going?" Asashio asked. Her question went unanswered as he shuffled down the steps. She decided to follow him, with Nonna making the same decision shortly after.

He sprinted over to the Staging Area as fast as he could. At the very least, he could pull Jintsuu to safety until it was safe to disarm her. He crashed through the front door of the Staging Area. The Staging Area was illuminated by bright pulsating red lights as a result of the alarm. He immediately saw Jintsuu coming closer to the docking area, and continued to sprint to the nearest dock. Asashio and Nonna followed shortly after him. "Jintsuu, get over here, now!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He couldn't see the Submarine's shadow, but he knew it had to be close enough to fire torpedoes at the dock, and he didn't want to be standing on that dock when the torpedoes exploded.

Jintsuu raced into the Staging Area as fast as she could. "Grab on!" Daimlon shouted as he extended his hand. She grabbed on firmly, and Daimlon pulled her onto the dock. She was unable to stand on the concrete with her equipment on, and leaned heavily into Daimlon to support her weight. "Help me get her up the steps!" Daimlon shouted at Asashio.

Asashio wordlessly scrambled down the steps to help him. Daimlon then heard the water churn behind him, in the direction of the harbor. His heart dropped as he turned his head around. He watched the Submarine break the surface tension as it surfaced. He soon found himself staring down a Submarine. He wasn't expecting to see a young girl staring back, water pouring off her as she stood.

She had a full grey military uniform on, complete with garrison cap, and a small headpiece, with an antenna attached to the left side of her headpiece. Large torpedo tubes hung off her on either side at hip level, facing frontward. She had pale skin, and equally pale blonde hair with stoic eyes that shone a similar shade to her uniform. She stood close to them, hands on her hips as she looked at them.

"I am U-511 of the German Kriegsmarine. Please do not be alarmed." She said calmly. Daimlon was in utter disbelief. He felt Asashio take the weight of Jintsuu off his shoulder, and he took a step closer to her to examine her. Daimlon felt uneasy as he assessed the girl in front of him. Her eyes and expression were locked in a strong, stoic position, daring others to challenge her. Yet, she possessed a serene aura that was gentle, and soft, creating a tranquil atmosphere that radiated from her presence.

Daimlon swallowed the lump in his throat as his heart continued to pound away in his chest. She continued to stare at him with a completely blank expression, awaiting his response. "Uh. Hello, U-511-" He started to speak before being cut off.

"Please, just call me Yuu." she said in the same calm manner as before.

"Alright, Yuu, what brings a German Submarine to this base?" He asked her, finally getting a handle on the absurd situation that just played out.

"Can you.. Let me.. Back in the water?" Jintsuu asked Asashio behind him. Shortly after, Daimlon could hear Jintsuu being placed back on the water.

"You are Admiral Daimlon, right?" She asked, not moving a muscle.

"That's correct." Daimlon responded.

Yuu continued to maintain eye contact with Daimlon, that cold but calm stare still sending mixed signals to him. She didn't say anything, and slid closer to the dock, standing right in front of Daimlon as she unzipped her jacket, reaching into it. She withdrew a small wad of papers stapled together, rolled up tightly. She offered the roll of papers to Daimlon wordlessly. It had a string tied around it to keep it from being opened.

Daimlon took the papers from Yuu gently, untied the string, unrolled them, and began reading the contents of the pages. It was an official letter from the Grand Admiral.

_'Admiral Daimlon, standing before you now, as I'm sure you're aware, is U-511 of the German Kriegsmarine. However, she prefers to be called Yuu from what I'm told. She is being transferred to your base, and is to operate under your command starting from the time you read this letter. She is the first German ship to be sent to us as foreign aid, considering the situation in the Atlantic is far better than our own in the Pacific. If things go well, we can likely expect more ships to arrive to the Pacific through foreign aid, especially as the Abyssals are pushed back in the Atlantic. However, the sea lanes leading to the Pacific are closed by heavy Abyssal presence, having Yuu slip by undetected was a gamble at best, so don't expect much more until the sea lanes are opened._

Daimlon finished the first part of the page. He could feel Yuu's stare burn into his very soul. He glanced up at Yuu. She stood with her body angled off to the side slightly, showing Daimlon her left shoulder, while she continued to look directly at him. She had her left hand on her hip as she waited for him to finish reading. It made him uncomfortable, but he continued to read the words that filled the page in front of him.

_Yuu is now under your command, Daimlon, treat her as one of your own and make sure to keep her safe. With that said, I have your first set of official orders for you to execute. I understand your forces aren't yet adequately built for battle, but we need you to move out sooner than expected. Five hundred kilometers to your east, there is an Abyssal outpost, home to a fleet of Destroyers, and Light Cruisers. This island is to be referred to as 'UG Island'. Their base is somewhat small, but they're pumping out Destroyers that are being sent out to disrupt our supply lines. Your orders are to terminate this base, along with as many enemy ships as possible. There is no deadline on this task, however, the sooner you can destroy that base, the better. Included in these papers are details on the island, including defenses and garrison. I trust you will have the base nothing more than ashes soon. I look forward to your mission report on the operation, and I hope a status update on Jintsuu comes included with it. Good luck Daimlon._

He finished reading the front page, and flipped to the next page. The rest of the four pages contained all the information he could ever want on both Yuu and UG Island. He immediately saw that Yuu had been in service for over a year, and had almost ninety confirmed kills, most of them transport ships. He looked up at her, impressed by her service record. She hadn't moved a muscle from her previous pose. "Eighty eight confirmed kills, that's impressive." Daimlon noted aloud. Yuu just continued to stare at him as if Daimlon's compliment didn't mean anything. "So you understand you're being transferred, right?" Daimlon questioned, making sure she knew.

"Yes." She said simply.

Daimlon paused for a moment before speaking. "Very well then, it's nice to meet you, Yuu." Daimlon said, extending his hand for a handshake.

She looked at his hand for a few seconds. She, instead, offered a firm salute. Daimlon shifted to give her a salute instead. "It's nice to meet you as well." She said calmly.

They dropped their salutes. "Go ahead and get disarmed, I'll have someone show you around. You too, Jintsuu, your test is over for today." Daimlon said, looking to his right at Jintsuu on the tail end of his sentence.

Yuu nodded at him, and slid into one of the docks, beginning the disarming process. "D-Does that mean... Today.. Didn't count?" She asked, curious as to what was going to happen since her test was interrupted.

"No, you will be scored only on what you completed, anything that was supposed to occur afterward won't count for or against you." Daimlon said, looking at Jintsuu. He returned his attention to Yuu

"You really gave us a scare, Yuu. Why did you approach a friendly harbor, that had no idea you were coming, submerged?" Daimlon asked her, watching as the fairies removed her torpedo tubes slowly.

"I was instructed to arrive at this base undetected. There was a Destroyer just outside the harbor, so I dove to avoid detection. I apologize for not surfacing sooner. It was my mistake." She said calmly.

Daimlon took a deep breath. "Don't worry about it, everything's fine now." He said as he started walking up the steps behind him, brushing past Asashio on his way. It was then that he noticed that Nonna was no longer there, and the base alarm had been silenced.

Yuu stepped onto the concrete, still soaked with water. She no longer had her torpedo tubes at her hips, and had her headpiece removed with antenna. She only had her uniform and garrison cap remaining. She stood only slightly taller than Asashio on solid ground. She pattered her way softly up the steps behind Daimlon, making eye contact with Asashio, but not acknowledging her. Shortly after, Jintsuu stepped onto the concrete of a different dock, and walked up the steps. Asashio just couldn't move, and stood there staring at the water at the edge of the small docking arm she stood on.

Daimlon opened the front door, and stepped outside of the Staging Area to find Nonna in front of a small crowd, consisting of the rest of the girls.

"What happened, Admiral?" Maikaze asked, immediately taking note of Daimlon's exit from the building.

"Is everything okay?" Lilly asked just as Maikaze finished.

"Hurry up and tell us!" Sendai shouted.

Daimlon was bombarded moments after leaving the Staging Area. He simply sighed. "There was an unforeseen arrival. We thought an enemy Submarine had penetrated the harbor, but it turned out to be a friendly Submarine." He said loudly. Just after he finished, Yuu walked out, water still dripping off her uniform and hair onto the concrete beneath her feet. "Everyone, I would really appreciate it if you all help me welcome Yuu to our base, she was transferred from Germany, and is here to stay." He announced. Yuu didn't say anything, and just continued to look at the group with her blank stare.

"What kind of name is you?" Lilly asked innocently, looking at her intently.

"It's short for U-511, her real name." Daimlon stated, crossing his arms.

"That's awesome!" Lilly said with the brightest eyes.

"Nice to meet ya, Yuu!" Maikaze shouted with a smile on her face.

Sendai gave her a smirk. "I like your outfit." She said.

"Thank you, I hope we can all work together well." Yuu said calmly. Jintsuu then walked out and joined them, Sendai immediately gluing herself to her hip.

Daimlon took a step forward. "Alright, then, let's show Yuu around and give her the tour." He said.

"Alright, let's go!" Maikaze said, grabbing Yuu by the arm and leading her around, heading toward the Crew Quarters. Lilly followed shortly behind Maikaze.

"Actually, I'm going to help Jintsuu study for her written test tomorrow." Sendai said as she walked away with Jintsuu, heading toward the Crew Quarters

Daimlon followed behind them as the whole group walked toward the Crew Quarters, Nonna flying close to Daimlon's shoulders. "What do you think?" Nonna asked.

"About?" Daimlon asked, looking at Nonna.

"Yuu." She said.

Daimlon looked forward at the girls in front of him. "I think this gift from Germany will go a long way." He said, a smile crawling onto his face. "Also, don't think your actions went unnoticed. I know you kept everyone outside of the Staging Area while I talked to Yuu, and I appreciate that greatly." He said, looking at Nonna once again.

"I _also_ turned off the alarm, and ordered those float planes you scrambled to land." Nonna said, proud of herself.

Daimlon just smiled as he faced forward again. He offered up his fist to her. "Keep up the good work." He said simply. If Nonna hadn't stopped everyone from entering the Staging Area, chaos would have ensued and getting a firm grasp on the situation would've been a nightmare.

Daimlon felt a small impact on his knuckle from Nonna giving him a fist bump, her fist significantly smaller than his. "I'll try." She said with a smile on her face.

* * *

The group showed Yuu around the base, Sendai and Jintsuu peeling off at the Crew Quarters to go to her room to help her prepare for the written exam tomorrow. Maikaze and Lilly left about halfway through to start their dance sessions, and Nonna left early to help clean up the harbor, clearing all targets before the next day's expedition set sail.

Yuu and Daimlon were in the final building of the HQ, his office. "That's pretty much all you need to know. Any questions or concerns?" Daimlon asked, looking at Yuu. She looked around the office, her blank stare being worn the entire time.

She turned to look at him. "No." She said simply.

"Alright then, you're dismissed. If you run into any problems, or have any questions, I have an open door policy. Feel free to drop by at any time." He said, walking behind the desks to his chair, taking a seat.

He pulled out the papers Yuu had handed him earlier, wanting to go over them in detail. He started going over them, but soon became distracted by something. Yuu wasn't leaving, she was just standing there. He looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm awaiting assignment." She explained simply, looking at him.

"What do you mean?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

Yuu paused for several moments. "In Germany, officers would always give us jobs to do during downtime. On my previous base I worked in the Supply Depot." She explained in her calm tone.

"You're free to do as you please on this base for the time being. We'll assign jobs later if needed, but for now everyone can take it easy. If you want to work in the Supply Depot, then go right ahead." Daimlon said.

Yuu paused again. "I see. I will do what I can in the Supply Depot then." She stated, turning around to head for the door.

Daimlon didn't say anything as she headed out the door. He simply went back to examining the papers before him, until Nonna entered the room in a puff of white smoke.

"Daimlon, what are we going to do about Jintsuu's test today?" She asked, holding the scoring sheet in her hand.

Daimlon leaned back in his chair again. "Just score her for what she completed, the rest doesn't count." He said, looking up at her as she floated.

"That simple, huh?" She asked, scribbling on her clipboard.

"Yep. Is the harbor cleaned up?" He asked.

Nonna continued to scribble on her clipboard for a few seconds before responding. "Yes, it's all finished. How's the written exam coming along?" Giving Daimlon a return question.

"Haven't even started yet." He said, mentally kicking himself a little.

"It's already starting to get late. Will you be able to finish in time?" She asked, scribbling on her clipboard as she continued to score Jintsuu's test.

Daimlon crossed his arms. "I should. Where's Asashio? This is the first time she isn't here to help with making a test." He pointed out.

"I got her test score results from her a few minutes ago, she was in her room by herself." Nonna said.

"Is she okay?" Daimlon asked, slightly concerned.

"She told me she was fine when I asked her, but I doubt she would be honest with us if she wasn't." Nonna said as she continued to grade Jintsuu's test.

Daimlon sighed. "I guess she's tired or something. No big deal." Daimlon said as he sat up in his seat.

A few moments of silence fell between them, with Nonna's writing the only sound in the room.

"Alright, Jintsuu's test score comes out to a seventy, dead on." She said.

Daimlon paused for a few seconds. "A tad higher than I'd like, but it'll do." He said as he scratched his head.

"Want me to tell her something different?" Nonna asked.

"No. I want to be honest with them as much as possible." Daimlon said heavily. Daimlon was always big on honesty, only lying when he felt it absolutely necessary.

Nonna smiled at him. "Good to hear." She said. _Ding!_ The sharp sound came from her. Nonna looked down at her clipboard and scribbled on it a few times, looking at it intently. "Daimlon, ten minutes until your construction is finished." She said.

Daimlon completely forgot he had issued a construction project that morning. He dumped the same amount of resources into the construction, and received a seven hour timer. "Right. I forgot about that." He said, laying it flat.

"A little too honest." She said with a teasing smile.

Daimlon stood from his seat. "Relax, seven hours is a long time to forget about something." Daimlon reasoned. "Shall we?" Daimlon asked as he walked out from behind the desks.

"Let's go." Nonna said excitedly.

The two of them made their way over to the Construction Yard in the afternoon sun. They passed Maikaze teaching Lilly how to dance, and stopped by the Supply Depot to make sure Yuu was doing okay, which she was. Daimlon decided to stop by and check on Asashio to see what was up with her. Daimlon and Nonna approached Asashio's door. They gave a few knocks, and after a short delay, Asashio opened the door.

"Yes, Commander?" Asashio asked, looking up at him.

"I was just concerned you weren't in my office helping with tests like you usually did. Everything okay?" He asked, slightly concerned about her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just needed to wrap something up in my room, I'll be there to help later, sir." Asashio said confidently.

Daimlon knew he had nothing to worry about with her. "Alright, whenever you're ready, just stop by." Daimlon said with a smile.

"Of course. See you soon, sir." Asashio said as she closed the door.

Daimlon slowly shifted to head back for the front door. "See? No big deal." He said, looking at Nonna.

"I was just a little concerned." She responded as she floated next to him.

They started walking toward the front door to the Crew Quarters. As they passed Jintsuu's room, they heard Sendai's muffled shout from within. They couldn't make out what she had said as the walls were thick, blocking most of the sound. Daimlon contemplated poking his head in to see what she was shouting about, but he decided not to. He continued walking toward the Construction Yard. Nonna just gave a small laugh. "What's so funny?" Daimlon asked with a slight smile.

"Sendai. I think she's a good fit for Jintsuu." Nonna said.

"Agreed." Daimlon responded. He then stopped in his tracks just before the door as he thought for a few moments. "Can I ask you something? When those two first met, they both knew who the other was at first glance. Why?" Daimlon asked, looking at Nonna.

Nonna stopped shortly in front of him, and turned to look at him. "Ships are imprinted with a strong connection to their sisters. They immediately recognize each other, have an extensive knowledge on one another, and share an unbreakable bond. Some sisters are closer than others, but most sisters are together whenever they can be." She explained professionally.

Daimlon smiled widely. "So.. Sendai should know a lot about Jintsuu's personality and past... Correct?" He asked.

Nonna just paused for a moment as she realized what Daimlon was up to. "Well, yeah, Sendai would know a lot about Jintsuu's personality and behavior. However, she has no insight into her past." She said.

"Good enough for me." He said simply as he turned back around and stepped over to Jintsuu's door. He waited a few moments before knocking on the door. He could hear the mumbles of them talking, unable to tell what they were saying. He knocked three times loudly. "Coming!" He heard Jintsuu's muffled shout from within.

There was a short delay before Jintsuu fumbled with the handle, and opened the door. She looked at him with wide eyes, putting her hands up to her chin as she did. "U-Uh.. What is it?" She asked nervously, afraid she might have done something wrong.

Daimlon just looked past her into her room, seeing Sendai kneeling at the table, looking back at him. "Sendai. Come here real quick." He said. Sendai instantly got up and walked over to stand behind Jintsuu.

"What's up?" Sendai asked with a smile.

"I want you to stop by my office before the end of the day. Understood?" He said powerfully.

Sendai widened her smile at him. "No promises, okay?" Sendai said.

Daimlon assumed she was just joking around with him, and turned to face Jintsuu. "Now. Your test results just came in." He said, pausing briefly.

"Well, How'd she do!? Spill it!" Sendai shouted excitedly, moving closer to Jintsuu, eager to hear what Daimlon had to say.

Jintsuu visibly tensed up, clutching her arms tighter. "You scored a seventy percent. Not bad, but you can do better than that." Daimlon said heavily.

Jintsuu released her built up tension, relieved to hear she did okay at least. Sendai was ecstatic. "Fuckin' right! Good stuff, Jintsuu. Gimme some skin!" Sendai exclaimed as she tore Jintsuu's arm away from her and held it up for her, giving Jintsuu a high five with her other hand. It made a muffled smack as the two gloved hands made contact.

Jintsuu just pulled her black arm sleeves back up, as Sendai's forced high five tugged them down a little. "I-I'll do better next time." Jintsuu said, refusing to make eye contact with Daimlon.

"Good to hear. I look forward to it. Sendai, make sure you stop by, don't forget. It's important." He said, pointing at Sendai to let her know he was being serious.

"Got it, If not I'll stop by tomorrow morning, I'm about to take a nap." Sendai said with a smile.

Daimlon just paused for a second. "Why are you going to take a nap?" He asked.

"So I can be awake for night time, of course!" Sendai exclaimed.

Daimlon just sighed. "Alright, tomorrow morning at the latest." He said reluctantly. A brief pause fell between them "Alright, that's all I've got for you. You can resume what you were doing." He said before starting to walk away.

"See ya tomorrow, Daimlon!" Sendai shouted. She immediately closed the door after saying that.

Daimlon felt like he was just manipulated to give her more time, but brushed it off. He continued to walk closer to the door, where Nonna was waiting for him. She assumed her position next to him as he walked out the door, heading toward the Construction Yard.

Nonna was floating next to him with an obnoxious smile on her face, which Daimlon took note of. "What are you smiling about?" He asked as they continued walking.

"Nothing." She said, still smiling as she looked at him.

Daimlon just raised an eyebrow at her before looking forward again. "Don't lie to me, what are you smiling about?" He asked, trying to get a response out of her.

"I told you, it's nothing." She said, looking forward with her smile.

Daimlon sighed. "If you say so." He said, irritated she wouldn't tell him what she found amusing. They continued walking in silence, Nonna wiping the smile off her face not long after, and eventually arrived at the Construction Yard. The door was just beginning to open as they reached it, just in time for the reveal. Daimlon brushed the curtain aside and stepped into the dark room.

The lights flickered on slowly, and revealed a small girl slightly taller than Asashio.

She had free flowing shoulder length black hair, and stunningly bright blue eyes. She had a warm smile on her face, and seemed easily approachable. She wore a black top and skirt, with white and red at her collar and ends of her sleeves.

She widened her smile as they made eye contact, and spoke first.

Her voice was soft and pure. "My name is Shigure of the Shiratsuyu-Class Destroyers. Nice to meet you, Admiral."


	7. A Difficult Exam

It was early in the morning, the sun barely peeking over the horizon, as Daimlon was gathering and organizing the information provided on UG Island with Regina.

"What's the range on our scout aircraft?" Daimlon asked, taking a sip of his morning tea.

Regina floated off his right shoulder, looking down on the papers on his desk. "About seven hundred kilometers." She said, adjusting her glasses.

Daimlon just scratched his freshly shaven face. The scout aircraft would be able to fly to UG Island, but they wouldn't be able to make it back with their fuel reserves. If Daimlon wanted more information on the base of UG, he would only have one option. "We could send Jintsuu or Sendai on a recon mission. Have them sail within three hundred kilometers of UG, launch their scouts, and wait for them to return. Other than that, I don't see any way of obtaining more information." Daimlon said, looking up at Regina with a serious face.

"We could use Yuu to get a look at the base." Regina said.

"No. The area is crawling with Destroyers, chances of them detecting her are too high. I'd rather use the risk free option of using scout aircraft." Daimlon said, looking back to the information at his disposal.

Regina thought for a few moments, scraping the barrel for ideas. "Sitting there for a couple hours waiting for aircraft to return seems a little risky to me." She said.

"Yeah. Why do our aircraft have such a short range? Most aircraft have a range reaching into at least a couple thousand kilometers." Daimlon asked, looking at her for a proper explanation.

"It's what we have to use until we can field better equipment. Once we obtain better aircraft, you can swap out our old aircraft for the new." Regina said, placing her hand on her hip.

"How do we get better aircraft?" He asked.

"By using a Workshop. It hasn't been constructed on this base yet, and it's not cheap at all. The Workshop makes improvements to the designs of our aircraft, guns, torpedoes, radar, sonar, depth charges, anti aircraft guns, engines, armor, and anything else I failed to mention. They even handle remodeling ship blueprints which can be used to upgrade them significantly. You tell them to research aircraft, and a week or two later they present a new design for you to use." Regina explained, removing her hand from her hip.

"So it's like an R&amp;D lab. How much does it cost to make?" Daimlon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ten thousand of each resource." Regina said simply.

Daimlon just took a deep breath and let his shoulders go limp. "I get the feeling that things get expensive quickly around here." Daimlon said.

"Let's not forget the upkeep cost of five hundred of each resource every day, which only goes up as it levels as well." Regina said, a slight smile creeping onto her face.

"I get it, we can't afford it." Daimlon said. He stared back at the papers on his desk.

Regina just looked at him for a few seconds. "So how do you want this recon mission done?" Regina asked, changing the subject.

"I'm thinking we should use a small force. Three ships aren't likely to be detected, so we'll use Sendai, and an escort of two Destroyers. Once they retrieve the scout plane from the recon mission, they'll immediately head back." Daimlon explained as he continued to think about the operation being set up.

"Which Destroyers are you going to send?" Regina asked.

Daimlon thought about it for a couple seconds. "Shigure and Maikaze will accompany Sendai. I've also decided how we're going to use the room downstairs." Daimlon said, looking at Regina.

"Oh?" Regina said, looking at Daimlon with curiosity.

"I want it to be turned into a briefing room. I want it equipped with several dozen chairs, a projector screen that can display a slideshow of maps and information, as well as a dry erase board on either side of the screen. I also want anything you think will be useful to be added as well. I'll leave the layout of the room to you, but I want it done before lunch." Daimlon said, looking at her with a serious face.

"You want me to start on that now?" Regina asked, adjusting her glasses.

Daimlon started writing the requirements he desired on a sticky note that he obtained from his drawer, and handed it to Regina. "If you would, please." He said.

Regina took the sticky note from Daimlon, which was almost as large as she was, and gave him a sharp nod. "Right away. I'll have it done sooner than you think." Regina said confidently.

"Thank you." Daimlon said, turning his attention to his computer. With that, Regina dissipated to begin her work. Daimlon clicked away until he found himself staring at the construction screen. They had enough resources for three construction projects identical to the previous ones. He clicked the 'Construct a ship' button, and the massive resource allocation screen appeared before him on top of his desk. He turned to look at it, and began adjusting the numbers. He bumped up each of the resources to three hundred of each, except for bauxite.

He didn't want to put more resources into small ships, but with the orders he was given, he would have to put upgrading the resource generators on the back burner for now. He decided to construct one more small ship, and save the rest for tomorrow where he would dump it into a, hopefully, larger ship to be used in the operation.

He placed his hand in the confirmation box, and received a six and a half hour timer, the lowest timer since Lilly. He shrugged it off and sat back down to continue organizing the information they had obtained. He started working on Jintsuu's test since it was almost finished. Just minutes after he began, there was a knock on the door.

As Daimlon was about to shout for them to enter, Sendai burst through the door. "Mornin' Admiral! What did you need me for?" Sendai said in a cheerful tone. She had a wide grin on her face, and immediately walked over to his desk.

"Please wait for me to tell you to enter before doing so." Daimlon said as he looked over at her. He swiveled his chair to face her.

"Why?" Sendai asked as she sat down in the seat in front of Daimlon's desk.

Daimlon just sighed. "If I'm having a confidential discussion with someone, I don't want anyone just inviting themselves in." Daimlon said, resting his chin in his hand.

Sendai just waved him off. "Oh, don't worry, I can keep secrets." She said with a large smile.

"I don't care, wait the extra couple seconds. I'm not asking too much." He said, placing his ankle on his leg, brushing his knee against the inside of the desk as he did. He really wanted to move away from the current topic.

"Alright, fine, fine." Sendai said, raising her hands apologetically for a brief moment. Silence fell between them for a moment or two. "Now what did you need?" Sendai asked.

"I'm giving you your first mission. It's going to be a simple scouting mission, but it's important that you do it well." Daimlon said, interlocking his fingers on his desk.

"Just tell me what you want me to do." Sendai said confidently.

Daimlon sat forward and pulled out the map of the area that contained UG Island, laying it out in front of her. She brought the chair closer to get a better look. "We've been tasked with bringing down a small Abyssal base, and we need more information. Tomorrow morning, you'll set sail under cover of darkness at 0400 and navigate to this point." Daimlon said, pointing his pen at a marked location on the map, three hundred kilometers away from UG. A smile crept onto Sendai's face when he said 'darkness'. "By the time you get there, it should be sunrise. I want you to launch your scout aircraft once you reach your destination. Have it navigate to UG Island, and by the time your aircraft arrives it should be bright enough to get a good view of the base. Have your aircraft gather as much information on UG as possible before it needs to return to refuel. Once it returns safely, you are to immediately head back and report your findings to me." Daimlon sat back in his chair as he finished.

"Anything in particular you're looking for?" Sendai asked, sitting back in her own seat as well.

Daimlon paused for a brief moment. "Anything that would prove detrimental to an attacking fleet. Ships, coastal batteries, airstrips, naval mines, or anything that could stop us from torching the place. I also want you to find the location of their supply stores, such as fuel tanks or munitions depots. Gather as much information as possible, anything you can learn will help greatly. Above all, I want a report on what kinds of ships you see, and if they are capable of putting up aircraft or not." Daimlon said, readjusting himself in his seat.

"Alright, should be simple enough. Anything you want me to do while the aircraft does it's thing?" Sendai asked.

"No, hold position until it returns. You will be escorted by Maikaze and Shigure. I'm assigning you as flagship on this mission, so when I'm not issuing orders, you're in charge. It's your responsibility to make sure the mission gets completed, and that Maikaze and Shigure are ready to go at 0400. I want to stress that if you're spotted by the enemy, you are to scrub the mission, ditch the plane, and return home immediately. However, the chances of detection are remote." Daimlon said, grabbing a piece of paper, and immediately began writing on it.

"Easy enough. Are Shigure and Maikaze aware of this yet?" She asked, crossing her legs.

"Not yet, if you have trouble convincing them that I tasked them to help you, show them this." Daimlon said, as he held up his sheet of paper. It listed all three names, and then detailed the mission they were tasked with. It listed the time of departure, estimated time of arrival at the point of aircraft launch, and what they were supposed to do in a detailed list. Daimlon signed it at the bottom neatly, ensuring that they knew it was, indeed, Daimlon's official order.

Sendai took the paper. She skimmed over it briefly and folded it three times, and tucked it inside her right arm sleeve. "Alright, I'll go tell them now." Sendai said as she stood up to head for the door.

"Hold it. I wanted to talk to you about something else." Daimlon said, stopping her in her tracks. Sendai just looked at him as she paused mid stride.

"About?" Sendai asked as she sat back down in her seat.

Daimlon paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I want you to tell me everything you know about Jintsuu." Daimlon said, looking at her with a serious face.

"...Why should I do that? Why do you need to know about Jintsuu?" Sendai asked with demanding eyes.

Daimlon just took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking, leaning back in his chair as he thought. "What I'm about to tell you is confidential. It's not to be brought up with anyone else, if you can't keep it between us, let me know now." Daimlon said.

"I told you, I can keep secrets." Sendai said, crossing her legs again.

After a brief pause, Daimlon spoke to her for several minutes, informing her of Jintsuu's past dismissals, the order to scrap her if necessary, and how he wants to help her. He refrained from saying anything about the testing's true purpose, or any ongoing plans.

"So you just want to help her fit in?" Sendai asked, seeking clarification.

"I want to find out why she's being dismissed, and solve the issue that's causing her to be dismissed. Anything you can tell me would help both Jintsuu and myself." Daimlon said.

Sendai sat up in her seat excitedly. "I wanna help! I can do more than just tell you about her. I'm beside her most of the day anyway, I can feed you info on her all the time." She said firmly with a smile.

Daimlon thought for a few moments. "As long as you can keep Jintsuu in the dark about it, that's fine by me. Just let me know of anything that could hinder her ability to function as a member of a fleet." He said.

Sendai sat back in her seat and made herself comfy, and began talking slowly and clearly. "Well... She's always been incredibly reserved, keeping her thoughts and issues to herself, so if she's struggling with something she'll keep quiet about it. She's always had a minor confidence issue, and has always been shy because of it. But, her confidence issue seems much more severe than I was lead to believe. Jintsuu also seeks approval from those around her, especially from anyone above her, you in this case. Though she'll brush it off like it's nothing, receiving a compliment as a reward for her hard work is all it takes to make her day. Because she's so dependent on others' approval, if she doesn't get it, I could see it being an issue." Sendai held her finger up to her chin, looking around the room as she thought about anything that could be relevant.

"Do you have any insight into her combat abilities? So far she's been performing rather poorly in the tests, and I'm thinking that could be the primary cause." Daimlon said.

"Yeah, she's decent until she makes a couple mistakes. Once she's made a few mistakes her composure goes out the window, and once her composure is gone she's not very good at all. That's putting it generously, too." Sendai said as she continued to think.

"What about her interaction with others?" Daimlon asked.

"She's just about the nicest person you could meet. She doesn't speak up often or say much, but she never disrespects anyone." Sendai stated.

The two sat in silence as Daimlon continued to wait for Sendai to vent anything else she might have to say.

"Overall, I think the biggest problem might be that something in her past screwed up her confidence." Sendai said as she crossed her arms. "A mission gone horribly wrong, or she fucked up really bad and people died because of it. Maybe her poor combat performance has taken it's toll on her over the long run, and has worn her confidence down to nothing." Sendai said as she was still thinking.

"I agree with you that something happened to her, but when I asked her, she denied that anything happened. See if you can get her to open up about it." Daimlon said, placing his ankle on his knee.

Sendai just nodded at him slightly. "She builds thick walls around herself, and doesn't let anybody in. So, like I said, she'll deny it all day if something is bothering her. I don't think she'll even tell me, but I'll see if I can get her to talk." She said.

"Also, her confidence isn't totally shot. Not yet, at least." Daimlon stated as he started reaching into his drawer.

Sendai perked up curiously. Daimlon withdrew a sheet of paper, and handed it to Sendai. It was the question sheet Daimlon had Jintsuu answer before her first test. "What's this?" She asked.

"I asked her to fill in how well she thought she was going to do on each test, a test to see how confident she was going into the tests." Daimlon said, placing his ankle back on his knee as he watched Sendai skim over the sheet.

Under every test, she circled an eight or a nine all the way down. "Wow. So she thought she was actually going to do well. Maybe her confidence isn't as much of an issue as we were thinking." Sendai said, looking up from the sheet towards Daimlon.

"I'm attributing it to blind or naive confidence. Even so, however, it still shows that she does have confidence in herself to some extent." Daimlon said.

Sendai swapped which knee sat on top of the other. "It could also be why her confidence has dwindled so much. She sets her sights high, and consistently lets herself down." She said.

"Bingo, my thoughts exactly." Daimlon said with a slight smile.

"Anything else you can show me?" Sendai asked, returning the sheet of paper, which Daimlon stuffed back in it's drawer.

"Not at the moment. Besides, it's almost time for the expedition to set sail, so you need to get ready to go." Daimlon said, glancing at the time.

"Alright, is everyone going this time?" She asked as she stood from her seat.

Daimlon removed his ankle from his knee. "Everyone except Jintsuu is, yeah. Jintsuu is going to start her test shortly." He said.

"Can't you push her test back so she can go with us?" Sendai asked, stretching her arms.

He easily could, but he wanted her to be finished as soon as possible. It would give him more time to go over her test, grade it, and gather as much information on her as possible from it. "I could, but I won't." Daimlon said simplistically.

"C'mon, it'll give her a chance to stretch her legs, and you'll get more resources too." Sendai said with a smile.

Daimlon crossed his arms. "No, the sooner she finishes, the better." He said.

"Why not push the expedition itself back until Jintsuu finishes her test?" Sendai asked, still trying to get her way.

It was obvious to Daimlon that she just wanted Jintsuu's company for the several hour long expedition. "Sendai. I've made up my mind, if you wanted to convince me to do such a thing maybe you should've stopped by last night when I asked you to." He said firmly, making it clear he wasn't budging. "I need resources, and I'm going to try to fit in two expeditions today, and if that happens, Jintsuu will go along on the second one." He finished.

Sendai just groaned with a blank face. "Fiiine." She said, placing her hands behind her head as she headed for the door.

"Sendai." Daimlon said as she turned her back toward him.

She turned around and wordlessly looked at him, her arms still behind her head.

"I also want you to get to know someone other than Jintsuu." He said while he leaned back in his chair.

With that, Sendai turned around again and continued to walk toward the door, swinging it open. "Sure thing." She said simply, before stepping out and closing the door behind her.

Daimlon just sighed as he relaxed deeper in his chair. He stood to go get another cup of tea before he continued working on Jintsuu's test.

* * *

Roughly an hour later, Daimlon was finalizing Jintsuu's test, when Regina popped into the room. "The briefing room is finished." She stated pridefully.

Daimlon looked up at her "Already? That was pretty quick." He said as he sat back in his seat and gave Regina his undivided attention.

"I told you it would be sooner than you thought." Regina said with a smile. "Though, I have to say, we finished sooner than I thought as well." She said, her voice trailing off slightly.

Daimlon gave her a funny look. "Why's that?" He asked.

"Ever since Yuu started working in the Supply Depot, efficiency has spiked almost eighty percent." Regina said with a smile.

"Eighty percent? Really? What'd she do?" Daimlon said, completely surprised.

Regina just shrugged. "I don't know, ask her." She said, adjusting her glasses.

"I'll have to drop by sometime and discuss a couple things with her." Daimlon said, thinking aloud.

"I should as well. I could probably learn a thing or two from her." Regina remarked with a smile.

"Anyway, Jintsuu's test is ready. Go tell her to report here immediately. After that, you're dismissed. Thanks for your help with the Briefing Room." Daimlon said, half smiling at her as he finished.

Regina just nodded. "Right away." She said, before disappearing.

Daimlon immediately turned his focus back to Jintsuu's test. In recognition of how intelligent Jintsuu may be, he made the test rather difficult to see just how intelligent she was. He had faith in her to score moderately well despite it's difficulty. In fact Daimlon was expecting no less than a forty five percent from her. The test started off easy, but quickly became more difficult with each question. While he expected her to do okay, he made sure she wouldn't do good. He made the final quarter of the test almost impossible, effectively capping her total score at an eighty.

Daimlon skimmed through the test before Jintsuu's arrival to triple check everything was right. With four pages, fifty questions total, and more than half of the questions being written response, Daimlon expected the test to last at least an hour. He decided to put a time limit of two hours on the test to lay on some pressure. With everything triple checked, he eagerly awaited for Jintsuu to knock on the door. He stapled the four sheets together, and withdrew several blank pages from his drawer.

Just as he was growing impatient, there was a knock on the door. "Come in." He said loudly. He had his fingers interlocked on his desk and wore a serious face.

Jintsuu calmly stepped through the door. She walked over to the desk slowly, avoiding any eye contact. She didn't appear to be as nervous as she usually was when she entered his office. She stopped a few steps away from his desk. "You.. Called for me?" She asked in a slightly nervous tone.

"I did. Your test is ready, are you ready to take it?" Daimlon asked her with a cold stare.

She simply nodded. "Yes." She said calmly. She looked at him, and actually maintained eye contact for once. She shifted her weight to her right leg.

Daimlon grabbed the test and held it out to her. He flipped the front page back, revealing the second one, and pointed to it as he presented it to her. "Most of it is written response, but the second page is all multiple choice." He said, flipping the second page over. "The third page has some maps that you need to read, those ones will be multiple choice but everything else will be written response." He stated, flipping the first two pages back in front again. He extended his hand out to her, prompting her to take the test.

She took it, and immediately let it rest at her side, not even taking a peek. She looked at Daimlon with a determined look, the nervousness in her posture and eyes were gone. "You'll take the test in my room. Go through the door and take the test at the desk to your right. You have a two hour time limit, I'll set a timer and you'll be stopped when the time's up. Your time starts as soon as you walk through the door. Any questions?" Daimlon said powerfully, crossing his arms.

"Yeah. Where's my pen?" Jintsuu said, her voice was stern and unwavering. Daimlon was almost shocked, and had to fight the urge to crack a smile at hearing Jintsuu speak like that for the first time.

"Right, I forgot." He said. He immediately began scavenging for a spare pen, and once he had procured one, he handed it to Jintsuu. "Oh, some scrap paper as well." He said, handing her the blank sheets of paper.

Jintsuu smiled warmly at him after she took the pen and paper from him. "Thank you." She said calmly. She immediately started walking toward the door to Daimlon's room.

Daimlon couldn't hide the smirk this time, but thankfully Jintsuu wasn't looking. It was clear she wasn't lacking confidence when it came to her own intelligence. It was at this time he was thankful he made the test as difficult as he did, realizing it was probably her strongest point. _'If only she was like that all the time'_ He thought to himself. "Good luck." He said in a simple tone as Jintsuu neared the door.

"Thanks." She stated before opening the door in front of her. She stepped through, and closed the door behind her. Daimlon started the timer, setting it for two hours. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. _'I guess it's my job to guide her to that point.' _He thought to himself. He sat there for a while, thinking about what may have caused so much damage to Jintsuu's self esteem.

* * *

Out on the ocean, the expedition crew was moving to the next location that they were given to scout for resources. The ocean was calm and clear, allowing you to see for miles. Asashio, named flagship for the expedition, was leading them to their destination. Maikaze, Sendai, Yuu, and Shigure were following close behind her.

"I suppose I enjoy dancing." Shigure said, looking over at Maikaze with a soft smile.

"Yes! I can teach you anything you wanna know!" Maikaze exclaimed, moving closer to Shigure.

Sendai moved in between them, and looked over at Maikaze. "Nonsense, she needs to learn practical skills." She said. Sendai looked over to Shigure on the other side. "I can teach you to night battle with the best of them!" Sendai said with a wide smile.

"Hey! Dancing is very practical!" Maikaze shouted, somewhat offended.

"N-No thank you. I.. I don't like night battles." Shigure said softly, looking down at the water in front of her.

"How is dancing at all practical?" Sendai asked, looking over at Maikaze, not even hearing Shigure's response.

Maikaze just moved in closer to Sendai, within arm's reach, and continued to glare at her. "Obviously it helps with evasion of all sorts! It helps with your agility, balance, and grace in combat!" Maikaze said, arguing her point in a solid voice.

"That's nothing compared to the ability to spot and hit enemies in the dead of night, the moon and stars your only light source!" Sendai snarled at her.

As the two of them continued to argue who had the more practical skill, Yuu was trailing the whole group by a solid twenty meters. She stood straight and tall, her hair flowing behind her in the breeze, dutifully scanning the horizon for anything unusual. She seemed completely unfazed by the commotion going on just ahead of her, almost as if it weren't even happening.

Asashio, at the head of the group, seemed unfazed by the argument as well. She was still discussing navigation issues with Marie. Suddenly, she stopped talking and turned around to the group behind her as the two voices droned on. "Quiet!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. The whole group, including Yuu, stopped what they were doing immediately and just looked at Asashio. "Both of you have a practical skill set. Instead of arguing about which one is more practical, you should focus on combining them. Learning how to effectively dance your way around the battlefield in the dark sounds awfully useful to me. Now quit bickering." She lectured harshly, laying down the law. She faced forward again, and continued talking to Marie as if nothing had ever happened.

Yuu quickly returned to scanning around them with her blank face.

Sendai and Maikaze were left speechless for several moments. "...She's right, though." Shigure said with a warm smile, looking at the two girls to her right.

"Yeah.. She is." Maikaze admitted, with a half smile on her face.

"Eh.. Whatever." Sendai said, somewhat annoyed at her interference.

"You wanna do it, Sendai?" Maikaze asked.

Sendai just gave her a funny look. "Do what?" She asked.

"You know, combine our two skills." Maikaze said with a slight smile.

Sendai just looked away for a few seconds. "Maybe someday." She said in a simple tone, clearly uninterested.

There was nothing but silence for almost ten minutes, except for Asashio talking with Marie every so often, ensuring they were still on course.

"Heads up, we're approaching our destination. Keep your eyes out for supplies." Asashio instructed. They started to approach a small chain of islands, each island no larger than a kilometer either way. Upon reaching the islands, they hugged the coast and began to scan for any crates, drums, or anything that looked like a storage container. They came across a drum that was riding the waves against the beach. "Maikaze, Sendai, go check it out." Asashio said.

"Got it." Maikaze said before peeling off to go take a look. Sendai wordlessly followed her. The rest of the group cruised on to look for other containers. Once Maikaze and Sendai arrived at the drum, they began prying it open together.

"Come on, damn you.. Open!" Sendai said as she wrestled with the container. It jutted open, and Sendai was almost thrown back by her own released strength when it did. It contained a moderate amount of steel inside, which they dumped into the storage containers on their backs.

"Shigure, Yuu, Crate over by the beach to our left." Asashio said as she noted Sendai and Maikaze returning to the formation. "Find anything?" She asked them.

"Yeah, we found some steel." Sendai told her as she started scanning the area for more containers.

"Good." Asashio said simply as they slowly trawled forward.

"Alright Yuu, lets get this thing open." Shigure said as they approached the crate.

Yuu wordlessly approached, and took the storage container off her back. "Hold it. Make sure to keep it still." Yuu said in a simple tone. Shigure gripped it firmly, ensuring it didn't move while Yuu pried it open. However, Yuu had no intention of prying a crate open with her bare hands. She held the empty metal drum high above her head, and brought it down with all her might. With a loud crack, she smacked the crate squarely in the middle with the bottom edge of her drum.

Shigure flinched back, letting go immediately. She lost her balance, and soon found herself sitting on the water. Shigure watched wordlessly, completely shocked, as Yuu put the dented drum on her back again, and began to pry the broken pieces of wood off the top. "Are you hurt?" Yuu asked without looking at her or stopping what she was doing.

It took a few moments for her question to register. "Uhh. No, I just wasn't expecting you to smack it like that." Shigure said, still questioning if what she just saw really happened.

"It would have taken too much time and effort to open it by hand." Yuu said as she continued to pull apart the top as if she had done it thousands of times before.

"You have a point." Shigure said as she picked herself up, standing on her own two legs again. The back of her skirt, her legs, and her hands were all soaked from the direct contact of water after she picked herself up.

"Not bad." Yuu remarked in a low, simple tone. She had opened the crate, and reached inside. She withdrew a bucket, and looked directly at Shigure.

"Is that.. What I think it is?" Shigure asked her, pointing at the bucket in Yuu's hand.

"It is." Yuu said simply.

Shigure looked back over to the rest of the group. "Heeey! Look what we found!" She shouted at them. The group looked over to see Yuu holding the bucket up. Shigure and Yuu started making their way back to the rest of the group.

The group veered to head directly toward them. "Did you find it in the crate?" Asashio asked as soon as they were close enough to speak without shouting.

"Yep, right over there." Shigure said, pointing over to the crate with an open top, broken pieces of wood floating around it.

Sendai was honestly impressed. "You guys really went ape shit on that thing, didn't you?" Sendai asked with a smile, surprised by how many broken pieces of wood surrounded the crate.

"How'd you open it?" Asashio asked.

Yuu wordlessly pulled the drum off her back, and presented Asashio with the end that was slightly dented, staring at her with those cold expressionless eyes. Asashio returned her stare for a few moments, feeling a slight tingle run down her spine.

"So you just used your container as a hammer?" Maikaze asked with a smirk on her face.

Yuu simply nodded at her. It really bothered Asashio that Yuu was so willing to vandalize her own equipment like that. "Whatever works, I guess." Asashio said.

"I call next crate with Yuu!" Sendai said with a smile.

"Just.. Don't hurt yourselves." Asashio said in a low tone as she shoved off to continue their search. Unfortunately for Sendai, there were no more wooden crates waiting to be bashed open for the remainder of the expedition. The rest of the expedition was uneventful, with little talking outside of communication on the task at hand.

* * *

Jintsuu set her pen down and stretched her back, finally finished with her test. She double checked to make sure she wasn't missing anything, and once determining she wasn't, stood from her seat. She opened the door, Daimlon glancing up from the papers on his desk as she did. She wordlessly walked over to his desk. "Finished?" Daimlon asked her.

"Yes." She said, holding up her papers to him. Daimlon grabbed the papers from her, and flipped through her test briefly to make sure she didn't miss anything.

"Forty minutes to spare." Daimlon noted aloud. Silence fell between them for a few moments as Daimlon continued to scan through her test. "Alright. Any questions, concerns, or problems you want to talk about?" Daimlon asked, looking up at her. Jintsuu struggled to keep her eyes focused on his, fighting the urge to dart them away.

"No." She said as she shifted her weight to her left leg.

"Very well then, you're dismissed. I'll be along later today to inform you of your score." Daimlon said as he placed her test on the far side of his desk, shifting his attention back to the papers in front of him.

"Thank you." Jintsuu said as she turned away for the door. She walked out, closing the door behind her. Once the door was shut, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She put her hand on her chest. She could feel her heart pound away as if she had woken up from a nightmare. Despite feeling confident, she couldn't help but feel terrified at the same time.

She took another slow, deep breath to help calm herself. She slowly started making her way down the stairs, lightly gripping the railing. Much to her surprise, she ran into Lilly. Lilly was having a seat in one of the several dozen chairs in the briefing room, clearly bored out of her mind. Lilly looked over to see Jintsuu walking down the stairs, and instantly shot up. "Jintsuu!" She shouted as she sprinted over to her.

Jintsuu brushed as much anxiety aside as she could, and put on a half smile. "Hey, Lilly." She said. Lilly crashed right into her with her arms open, wrapping them around Jintsuu in a great big hug. Jintsuu knelt down to her level to return it. After a brief pause, Lilly withdrew from the hug and looked at Jintsuu with a puzzled look.

Without a word, Lilly placed an ear on Jintsuu's heart, which was still beating rather heavily. She pulled her head away and looked at Jintsuu. "Are.. You okay?" She asked with a concerned face.

Jintsuu hesitated a few moments. She gave Lilly another, slightly larger, smile. "Yes. I'm just a little nervous." She said, wanting to put her at ease.

"But why are you nervous?" Lilly asked.

"I'm nervous because I might be in a little bit of trouble soon." Jintsuu said as widened her smile.

"Why would you be in trouble? Did you do something wrong?" Lilly asked, wanting to know as much as she could.

Jintsuu understood that Lilly would continue to ask why until the sun went down. Instead of continuing her explanation, she gently pinched Lilly's nose with a large smile on her face. "That.. Is something you shouldn't be worried about." She said in a playful tone. Lilly immediately started grabbing at Jintsuu's hand, trying to get it off her nose.

"Hey, that's my nose!" Lilly said as she continued to try and remove Jintsuu's fingers from her nose.

Jintsuu gave a small laugh and let go of her, still wearing that large smile on her face.

Lilly rubbed her nose for a few seconds, and then peered right back into Jintsuu's eyes. "But wh-" Lilly began to ask before being cut off.

"Do you wanna play hide and seek?" Jintsuu asked brightly.

Lilly's face lit up with a gasp. "Of course I do!" She breathed excitedly. Hide and seek was one of her favorite games, and always wanted to play as much as possible.

"Alright then, do you want to hide first?" Jintsuu asked her, pleased that her distraction had worked perfectly.

"No, you hide!" She said excitedly.

Jintsuu stood up, still looking at Lilly. "Okay, but after a few games we're going to have lunch." She said.

"Okay!" Lilly said, eager to get started.

"Alright, stay here and count to ninety." Jintsuu instructed as she headed for the door.

Lilly immediately closed her eyes and started counting. Jintsuu hurried out the door and began thinking of places to hide. She then noticed that her nervousness had completely vanished, and she actually felt somewhat relaxed. A faint smile spread across her face as she started heading off toward the rest of the base.

* * *

It was early in the afternoon, and the expedition still hadn't returned. Daimlon was finished grading Jintsuu's test, but there was still more paperwork to be done. He took a moment to look at the time as he stretched his arms. It was actually just about time for the ship construction to be finished. He debated internally whether he wanted to take a break or not. He had been working at his desk nearly the entire day since he sat down after breakfast. He decided he had earned a little reprieve, as well as some lunch.

Daimlon leaned back in his chair as he gazed at the ceiling, taking a moment to just relax. He closed his eyes and eased his muscles as he slipped deeper into the comfort of his chair. He took a moment to appreciate where he was, an Admiral in command of his own base. He could never dream of taking even a moment like the one he was enjoying now while he was at the Academy, it was just years of constantly straining himself. He smiled as he recognized the amount of freedom he had with his new position, he was practically his own boss.

For the first time ever, Daimlon actually _felt_ like the Admiral he was. Even during graduation it never truly sank in that he had accomplished what he had strove for since he was a child. Arriving at his own base was just another place to be, and issuing his first commands was just another day at the office. But the first time he sat back to relax at his desk, it finally hit him.

He could only think of one thing as a result of his realization - His father. He opened a small drawer in the upper left of his desk, and withdrew a small metal strongbox. Inside it was only a single item, a worn piece of paper folded up twice to fit neatly inside the box. It was an old letter from his father. He could remember receiving that letter like it was just a few hours ago.

It was late in the evening, and he had just gotten home from the Academy that resided fifteen minutes from his father's house. He knew that the house would be empty, as this was the day his father deployed once more for the Japanese Navy. He turned the light on and walked in, and found a letter sitting on the counter top of his father's kitchen.

_Hey Donnie, I knew I wouldn't have time to say goodbye to you since you've been so busy with school, so I figured I'd leave this behind. I have some good news, My request for a shortened term was approved, so I'll be back in time for your ceremony and I can give you your first salute, just like we agreed when you first started. I'll be gone for a total of eight months, but It'll go by quickly. It feels like yesterday you started at that damned Academy. I just wanted to let you know that I'm incredibly proud of you. I've had many other officers ask me if I'm the father of the young Daimlon in the Academy, and I have the indomitable pleasure of saying 'Yes'. It brings a smile to my face whenever I think about how far you've come. I remember when we first moved when your mom and I divorced, you had it the hardest. You didn't know a lick of Japanese, or anything about the culture, but you decided to come with me anyway instead of staying in the states with your mother. Now here you are, about to graduate soon at the top of the entire Academy. Everyone knows that an officer's first salute is the most important one of their career, and I'm humbled that you've decided to let me have it. It means more to me as a father than you could ever imagine. You should be proud of yourself as well, it's all you've ever wanted for as long as I can remember. Still, who would've ever thought that you'd turn out to be the best student in years, making waves and blowing people away. Anyway, enough rambling, try to find yourself a decent woman by the time I get back, would ya? You have no idea how many of my fellow officers I serve with have daughters, and they make it a point to hint that they're around your age. If you don't find yourself someone by the time I get back, I'll be forced to take up one of their offers and arrange a marriage for you since you can't reel one in. _

_On a more serious note, take your time when it comes to women. Don't end up like me, divorced after the lust wore off with two kids at thirty. You'll end up in Hong Kong or some shit with one of your kids, wondering how the hell you got there. Find yourself someone perfect, that you want to spend the rest of your days with. Someone you couldn't imagine life without. Someone who would be willing to go to the ends of the earth to stay with you, and then slap a ring on her finger and claim her as yours. Never give her up, and never let go of her as long as you live. I know your standards have always been high, probably because of the divorce, so it might take you a while to find that perfect someone. That is perfectly okay, better to be happily married for the rest of your life at forty than divorced at thirty. All in all, it doesn't matter what I think or say, just find someone who makes you happy and go for her. No matter who she might be, you have my support. I have faith that you won't have any problems finding someone eventually, so be sure to make it count. That's my final piece of advice to you until I return. I made sure to leave more than enough money to pay for the bills for the next eight months, as well as extra for food and any emergencies that may arise. Keep your head in the game for a little longer, you're almost finished with the worst part of your career. _

_I couldn't be more proud of where you are, let alone where you're going. Keep it up.  
Love, Dad._

It would end up being his father's final words of advice. About a month after his father was deployed, the first waves of Abyssals rose from the depths and began contesting the world's navies. Daimlon heard the ship his father served on was sunk in the first major counterattack, mounted by a massive American-Japanese fleet. Over ninety percent of the counterattack force was lost, including two Carriers. About a week after the first engagements, the first kanmusu ever arrived in Britain, where she instructed them how to construct and utilize kanmusu. Until the arrival of the kanmusu the Abyssals went uncontested. Two weeks after the first Abyssal sightings, the most powerful Navy in the world, America's, was completely decimated on all fronts. Save only for the few kanmusu that they possessed.

Shells lobbed by Destroyers bounced off even the lightest Abyssal ships. The Navy's air complements of F-18's and several other types of aircraft were swept from the sky effortlessly. Abyssal Battleships the size of a human adult could sink Destroyers with just a single salvo. The early Abyssal war was like a bunch of sailing Frigates from the 1800's engaging modern Cruisers. Once the kanmusu started being constructed in decent numbers, and the first battles against the Abyssals were won, all steel ships were withdrawn from the conflict permanently. Nobody really understood why these girls were able to do what nothing in Earth's arsenal could, but nobody really questioned the convenience of it all.

Daimlon didn't need a letter from the Navy to know he would never see his father again. Before he even heard his father's ship sank, as soon as the invincibility of the Abyssals became apparent, he knew better. Come graduation time, Daimlon refused to give anyone a salute. Instead, with tears rolling down his face, he saluted a picture of his father at home after the ceremony ended. Ever since then he's kept his father's last letter close, and encased it in a strongbox to keep it safe.

"Daimlon." A voice echoed. A few seconds more of silence. "Daimlon, wake up." The voice was now distinguishable. It belonged to Nonna. He broke his concentration away from the letter, and looked up to find Nonna floating above his desk. "Welcome back!" She said with a smile.

"Hey, construction's done?" He asked in a simple tone. He immediately folded the letter up again, placed it inside the box, and closed it.

"What was that? You seemed pretty far gone for a while." Nonna inquired, withholding the answer to his question.

Daimlon placed the strongbox back in his personal belongings drawer, and closed the drawer. "Don't worry about it, just answer the question." He said as he looked back up at her.

"You know what? No." Nonna stated as she crossed her arms. "You're going to tell me what's bothering you." She said.

Daimlon sighed. "Why should I tell you? It's none of your concern." He said.

"Oh but it is. When you're so deep in thought staring at a piece of paper that I can't even get through to you, it's a little bit of a problem. Now tell me so that I'm not worried." Nonna said, raising her voice slightly.

Daimlon couldn't argue with her on that front, she was right. "I told you not to worry about it, so don't." He said, trying to brush her off.

Nonna wasn't having it. "Too late, I'm already worried. The fact that you're trying to brush me off is only making me more concerned. Just tell me." She said, somewhat demandingly.

Daimlon sighed again. "Fine. It was a letter from my father. The last words he had to say to me before he died to the Abyssals were on that sheet of paper." He said in a dull tone.

Nonna was surprised she got an answer out of him so soon. She floated down closer to the desk, almost standing on it, as she moved closer to him. "Are you okay?" She asked in a concerned voice.

Daimlon just paused for a moment. "Yeah. It still bothers me sometimes, but I've healed for the most part." Daimlon said, trying to be as honest as possible.

"Well, just think about what you do have. I mean, you still have some family right? Your mother? Maybe a sibling or two?" She said encouragingly.

Daimlon just looked down and shook his head. "No. My father, my mother, and my sister. They were all killed by the Abyssals." he said, his voice trailed off at the tail end of his sentence.

Nonna felt like she had just stepped on a landmine. She tried to think of something to help. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." She said, unable to come up with something to ease the situation.

"I know, it's fine. Like I said, that wound is mostly healed." Daimlon said as he looked back up at her.

Nonna just continued to look at him. She wanted to know more about what happened, but she wouldn't dare ask directly. She already regretted pushing for an answer in the first place. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"Not much to talk about, honestly." He said as he looked across the room, nowhere in particular.

There was an extended period of awkward silence.

"So. Construction's finished, right?" Daimlon asked, looking back at her.

"Yep, that's right." Nonna said, putting on a smile for him.

Daimlon stood from his seat. "Well, let's go." He said.

[five minutes later]

The massive door to the Construction Yard opened in it's usual fashion. Daimlon, with Nonna hovering over his shoulder, brushed aside the curtain and stepped into the large room.

After a short delay, the lights flickered on and revealed a girl that stood no taller than Maikaze.

She had short black hair styled into a ponytail. She had a white uniform top with blue at the ends of her sleeves and collar. Her skirt fell to mid-thigh level and was a matching shade of blue.

She stepped forward, walking over to Daimlon. Once she was close enough, she looked at him with strong eyes.

She brought up her hand in a solid salute, and spoke clearly. "Special-type Destroyer Fubuki, at your service."

Daimlon brought his hand up in a salute. "At ease, Fubuki." He said. They both promptly dropped their salutes.

"Wait, you mean _the_ Fubuki? The name ship of the advanced design!?" Nonna asked excitedly.

Fubuki smiled widely. "That's right!" She said.

Daimlon just looked at Nonna. "What do you mean by advanced design?" He asked.

"Her design set the benchmark for all the Destroyers we have today. While maintaining her small size and incredible speed, she gained an armament that rivals early Light Cruisers. Girls like Asashio, Maikaze, and Shigure are all based off the girl before you right now. Of course, they're each slightly improved." Nonna said, trying her to best to contain her excitement.

"I may be slightly outdated by now, but I won't let you down!" Fubuki said confidently.

"Sounds impressive. Welcome to the fleet, Fubuki. I'm sure you'll fit right in." Daimlon said with a smile. A few moments of silence passed until Daimlon realized he had forgotten something basic. "My name is Daimlon, you can call me Don for short. This is our Construction Fairy, Nonna." He said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Fubuki said cheerfully, a smile plastered on her face.

"Alright, I guess I should show you around now." Daimlon said. His hunger pains were telling him where a good place to start might be. "You wouldn't happen to be hungry would you?" He asked Fubuki.

"I wouldn't mind something to eat." Fubuki said

"Good, because we're having lunch first. Let's go." Daimlon said, immediately turning around to head outside.

Nonna looked back at Fubuki with a grin, and then followed Daimlon. Fubuki trailed them shortly after. The three of them headed over to the Mess Hall, where Nonna broke off to continue working.

"First stop of the tour, the Mess Hall. Whenever you're hungry just stop by and grab what you want, there's no specified meal time." Daimlon said, the moment he finished he swung the door open and stepped inside. The Mess Hall was totally vacant except for two seats near the middle of the room, where Jintsuu and Lilly were eating their food.

Their attention was immediately drawn to Daimlon and Fubuki as they stepped through. As usual, Lilly's eyes lit up and she smiled brightly. Daimlon just smirked and walked over to them. "Donnie!" Lilly shouted with a mouth full of food.

"Don't shout with your mouth full." Daimlon heard Jintsuu say to Lilly in a low voice.

"Sorry." Lilly said, her mouth still full.

"Hey guys. Fubuki, this is Jintsuu and Lilly. Lilly and Jintsuu, this is Fubuki." Daimlon said, introducing them.

"Pleased to meet you." Fubuki said in a formal tone.

"Nice to meet you too." Jintsuu said calmly, giving Fubuki a slight smile.

"Come on, join us for lunch!" Lilly shouted, her mouth finally clear of food.

Fubuki just smiled at her. "Sure." She said.

"Go on ahead, I'll be right behind you." Daimlon said to Fubuki, urging her to grab her food first.

"Okay." Fubuki said, immediately walking toward the serving station.

Daimlon waited a while, just standing there with his arms crossed. "Jintsuu." Daimlon said.

"Y-Yes?" She asked nervously, almost like she knew she had done something wrong.

Daimlon looked right at her. Jintsuu dodged his eye contact, looking over at Fubuki instead. "I'm not going to say anything other than ninety-two. Good job." Daimlon said, keeping it as private as possible.

There was a slight pause. Jintsuu looked pleased at hearing the result. "Thank you." She said softly.

With that, Daimlon marched over to the serving station to get his own food.

"Ninety-two? Ninety-two what?" Lilly asked. "Jintsuu. What'd he mean?" Daimlon could hear Lilly continuing to probe for answers as her voice faded away.

Daimlon filled his tray with grub, and promptly made his way back to the table. He slapped his tray down and took a seat. It was actually the first time Daimlon had taken a moment to enjoy some food in the presence of others, a welcome change in his books.


	8. Guilty Conscience

**Author's Note: So, first off, I wanna apologize for being a poor author. I never intended to slow down to a monthly update, and that's been the case for the past two chapters. However, I'm going to try and step it up to, at the very least, a bi-weekly update. At the story's current pace, and how many ideas I've had for the story, it would take a few _years_ to finish the story on a monthly update schedule. I want to avoid this at all costs. With that said, on a bi-weekly update schedule, it'd still take a long time for me to finish this story. **

**Secondly, I want to be able to communicate with you guys better so you aren't left wondering what's going on. As far as I'm aware, there's nothing on the fan fiction site that will allow me to make an announcement or anything to my followers, so I'll be opening a twitter account that you should feel free to follow along with my story. I'll include my twitter name at the bottom of every chapter, and a direct link will stay on my profile. **

** twitter: WixomFanFics - With this I'll post updates (chapter progress/what im doing) ask questions to you guys, and overall improve the amount of information _you_ get pertaining to the story. Hopefully plenty of you use the reply button to give me your thoughts as well! **

**With that out of the way, please enjoy reading Chapter 8.**

An alarm clock rang obnoxiously on the top of a dresser in the midst of a dark room. It was nearly pitch black, but a figure stirred on the floor slowly. Shigure rolled over to face the alarm clock with heavy eyes. She mustered her strength for a few moments, allowing the clock to barrage her ear drums. With a sigh, she heaved the sheets off of her, walked over to her dresser and turned the alarm clock off. She rubbed her eyes groggily, and took a moment to wake up. She stared into the dark reflection in the mirror over her dresser. Her eyes well adjusted to the darkness, she could see well enough to know she looked exactly how she felt - Tired.

There was knock on the door. Without giving her a chance to respond, Sendai walked into the room. She was already wearing a fresh uniform and was ready to go, even though it was two hours until they were supposed to leave. "Good morning, Shigure!" She said loudly.

She perked up the best she could. "Oh, good morning, Sendai." She said in a simple tone. Despite going to bed a few hours earlier in anticipation of the mission, she felt like she hadn't slept at all.

"Are you ready to go?" Sendai asked excitedly with a wide smile as she leaned through the open door.

Shigure opened the top dresser drawer. "I need to shower and such, but I'll be ready in time." She said as she started digging through the drawer, withdrawing fresh clothing.

"Here's a tip from the pro. Don't turn any lights on so you retain your night vision. It'll make it much easier to navigate at night." Sendai said with a small chuckle.

Shigure just looked at Sendai with her weary eyes, her arms clutching a bundle of clothing. She closed the dresser drawer. "Okay, I'll try it." She said calmly.

"I'm gonna go wake Maikaze up, see you soon!" Sendai said eagerly, closing the door behind her.

It was 0200 and Sendai was already parading through the building like it was the middle of the day. Shigure let out a yawn as she walked to her bathroom with her fresh clothes in hand. She habitually reached for the light switch, but stopped herself just as she was about to flick it. Even though her eyes were adequately adjusted to the dark, she couldn't see very well. She managed to find a place to set her clothes, open the shower curtain and turn the water on. She was mostly feeling her way about, with little assistance from her eyes, but she was managing to move along faster than she expected.

* * *

The alarm clock in Maikaze's room blared as loudly as it could. She rolled over, and groaned. Maikaze pulled the covers over her head in disgust. "Just five more minutes." She said, pleading with the alarm clock that woke her. Maikaze gave up, and stood from her futon. She walked over to the alarm clock and shut it off. She squinted to see the time in the dark room. It read 0207. Maikaze stared at it for a few seconds. _'I could've swore I set it for 0230.'_ She thought to herself.

Just as she finished that thought, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her firmly, locking Maikaze's arms in place. She felt a jolt of electricity burn through her, as her senses and reflexes kicked in. She immediately tried to pry free and scream. "So-" She began to shout, but a hand immediately shushed her. She tried to wriggle her way out of the grip that bound her, but to no avail. Maikaze continued to struggle and shout through the hand over her mouth.

"Good morning, Maikaze." A familiar voice said just behind her. Maikaze ceased her struggle as she realized who it was. "I would've expected you of all people to be a morning person." Sendai said with a laugh. Maikaze tried to break free, but Sendai wasn't letting go yet. "You should keep your hair down all the time, it looks nice on you." Sendai remarked.

Maikaze was growing increasingly annoyed with Sendai. She struggled some more, indicating she wanted Sendai to let go. "Shhh, relax." Sendai said quietly. After a few seconds of silence, Sendai finally let go.

"What the hell was that for?" Maikaze asked in an aggressive tone. She shifted away from Sendai to face her, she could barely see Sendai in the darkness of the room.

"To scare you." Sendai said with a wide smile on her face.

Maikaze sighed heavily. "Seriously? And why did you set my alarm back?" She asked.

"Daimlon told me it was my responsibility to make sure everyone was ready to go, so that's what I'm doing." Sendai explained, crossing her arms like she was proud of herself.

"There are better ways of doing that, idiot." Maikaze spat, her face turning red.

Sendai seemed to ponder the thought for only a moment. "No, this seems to have worked just fine." Sendai said cheerfully.

"Whatever, just get out of my room." Maikaze was done with Sendai for now. She marched over to her door, opened it, and pointed toward the hallway.

Sendai chuckled. She started walking over to Maikaze. "Okay, but if I come back and find you sleeping." Sendai said. With a smile, Sendai leaned in, holding her face just inches from Maikaze's. "I'll do much worse than just scare you." Sendai said in a calm, implicative tone. With that, she strolled out of Maikaze's room.

With a grimace, Maikaze shut the door behind her. Her heart was finally starting to calm down from the scare. She fruitlessly wiped away what frustration she could. _'It's way too early in the morning for this.' _She thought to herself.

Sluggishly, she set herself in motion to get ready. She grabbed fresh clothes and got ready for her shower, but only after she locked her door.

Though Maikaze was still slightly upset even after her shower, the three of them departed at their scheduled time toward the aircraft launch point under the cover of darkness with Marie guiding them.

* * *

"Today's the day, right?" Asashio asked, looking directly at Daimlon as she sat in the secretary's seat.

Daimlon was skimming over a sheet of paper in front of him. "Yeah. That's right." He said after a short delay.

"So fill me in. What have you done to make sure I'm safe?" Asashio asked sternly.

Daimlon let the sheet of paper fall to his desk as he leaned back in his chair, looking over at Asashio. "Well... I've told Yuu to stay submerged under the water and hide. She'll be in direct radio contact with me the whole time. All I have to do is press a button, tell her to subdue Jintsuu, and she'll do it. I'm also loading Jintsuu with Armor-Piercing shells. Since you have paper thin armor, the likelihood of the shell leaving your body without detonating is reasonably high. Even if the shell does detonate, it won't do as much damage as a standard shell." Daimlon explained calmly.

Asashio just looked at him for a few seconds with a smirk, pleased by his answer. "You're right, my armor isn't thick enough to trigger the shell's firing mechanism. However, the shells could pass through my body and then hit the base, where they'd be more likely to detonate." She reasoned.

"And? Everything on this base can be replaced. You can't be." Daimlon said as he flung his chair around to face the computer.

Asashio's eyes fell to the desk in front of her for a few seconds, then back to Daimlon. "I know. I was just raising a point." Asashio said calmly.

She looked over to his monitor to find him anxiously awaiting information from the scouting mission that had departed some four hours ago.

"Worried?" She asked, brushing the wisps of hair lingering over her face to the side.

"Not so much worried as I am anxious. The sooner we get the information the sooner we can begin planning." Daimlon stated as he turned away from his computer.

Asashio just looked down at the empty desk in front of her for a few moments as she tried to find the right words. "...We're not ready for this, you know. We're too few with too small an armament to take down a base." Asashio said, a little nervous of what his response might be.

"That's why we're gathering information. Information is everything in warfare, we can identify weak points and, with enough information, even plan an optimal time of day to attack where they'll be at their weakest." Daimlon said, picking up the papers in front of him again. He had more to say, but wasn't able to speak them soon enough.

"That's not the point. The point is we're too weak to do this effectively. Even if we succeed, casualties are almost guaranteed." Asashio said, raising her voice slightly.

Daimlon shifted his gaze from the papers in his hand and over to Asashio. "You don't know that, and neither do I until the intel lands on my desk. If it's truly too dangerous then I'll wait, but we can't wait forever." He said.

"We should at least wait until we have twelve people to commit to an attack. Right now we only have seven, including myself." Asashio stated, crossing her arms.

Daimlon allowed a few seconds of silence to expire. "Don't worry Asashio. I didn't spend four years at the academy for nothing." He said simply, returning to the papers in front of him.

"..I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to doubt you, sir." Asashio said, adjusting herself to sit properly.

"Relax, it's perfectly understandable that you're a little nervous about it. This will be everyone's first fight, spare two individuals, and we're attacking a base on top of it, but safety is my top priority. However, we're in a war, people are going to get hurt eventually regardless of what happens. I could make the best tactical decision available and people can still die... Be ready when it happens." Daimlon said heavily, pressing home the seriousness of what he had just said.

Asashio could feel her stomach drop slightly. Her gaze lowered to the desk again. "I know." She said in low, simple tone. Though she was tough as nails, she knew it was going to hurt.

Daimlon returned to his papers, and began writing on them with his pen. "Now, back to the evasion test tomorrow, how fast do you think the torpedoes should be?" He asked. With that, they continued working on the next test until Regina gave them the ready signal for the unit cohesion test.

* * *

Out in the middle of the open ocean, the group of three idled in the water as they continued to wait.

"Oh, man, this is taking forever!" Sendai said, grumbling in pain.

They were sitting, gathered in a small circle as they waited. "It should be back soon, right?" Maikaze asked. Her mood had improved dramatically from that morning.

"Yes. I hope so, or I might die." Sendai said sarcastically. "I think he picked the hottest day of the month for this." She rest her head in her hand, giving the world a glum look.

"I don't think he did it intentionally." Shigure said softly. Shigure managed to pick herself up after her shower, but she still felt a little sluggish.

"Summer's ending soon, it should cool off in a month or two." Maikaze stated.

Sendai just leaned back and let herself fall back into the water. After her body reached a few inches into the water, her natural buoyancy kept her afloat as if she were on solid ground. The water felt cool against her back, and she immediately wished she could dive deeper.

"I just hope our winters aren't too cold." Maikaze said, her face resting in her palm.

"Personally, I'd rather be too cold than too hot." Sendai stated, still gazing at the clouds rolling overhead.

"I agree. You can always put an extra blanket on." Shigure said softly, taking a peek around them.

Maikaze was about to express her own opinion, but was distracted by a noise. The drone of an aircraft engine off in the distance. Everyone immediately perked up. "It's finally here." Sendai said with a relieved smile as she sat up, water dripping off her hair onto her shoulders.

"I don't see it." Maikaze said, anxiously scanning the sky.

"It's over there, behind the cloud." Sendai stated, pointing up at a cloud.

The aircraft came within view, breaking through the clouds on it's descent.

"How did you know it was behind the cloud?" Maikaze asked, giving Sendai a puzzled look.

Sendai just crossed her arms with a smile. "Aircraft are linked telepathically to their owner, so I always know exactly where it is." She said pridefully.

The aircraft touched down on the water, smoothly gliding over to them as it slowed down, parking right next to Sendai. She eagerly picked it up, and closed her eyes as it began transmitting data directly to her mind. Pictures flashed in her head, with notes containing extra information and observations. The two Destroyers anxiously watched as Sendai smiled from ear to ear.

"Hehe.." Sendai chuckled slightly. "Oh he is just going to _love_ this!" She said excitedly.

* * *

Asashio stood in the dark Staging Area by herself, the outside light from the open wall slightly illuminating the large room. Her heart beat heavily as she stepped closer and closer to the docks. She quietly made her way down the steps, and began to put her gear on with the assistance of a couple fairies. She couldn't stop thinking about it.

_"I've already discussed the terms of the test with Jintsuu. There will be one firing course to navigate through as a team. It's up to her to optimize your paths and find a time efficient way to knock down as many targets as possible. She was told that her final score would be identical to the lowest scoring of the two, inducing her to split the work load evenly. However, since you aren't going to hit anything, she's destined for a zero." Daimlon said to her._

Though it already pained her even thinking about it, she knew that it was for the better. She took a deep breath as she stood on the water, and steeled herself for what she was about to do. She calmly set off toward the opening. She made her way out to the starting point, where Yuu was undoubtedly waiting beneath the surface. Jintsuu wasn't there yet.

Apparently Yuu didn't even question why she was being asked to hide, or even subdue Jintsuu upon request. According to Daimlon, she agreed to do it without hesitation or question. Asashio thought it was kind of strange, and wondered why Yuu would be so willing to do something like that so readily. She wasn't sure if she could trust someone like that.

Then it hit Asashio. She was the same way. Asashio agreed to do this from the beginning without hesitation as well. _'No. I'm doing this because he asked me to do it, and no other reason. She has to have some kind of ulterior motive. She is from Germany, after all.' _Asashio thought to herself. Whenever she thought about Yuu, she always got slightly angry.

Conveniently, the small amount of anger that arose quelled any guilt that still clung to her. She took her place in front of the course, and began patiently waiting for Jintsuu to make her arrival.

Asashio sat idle in the middle of the harbor, Daimlon watching from up in his tower, until Jintsuu finally made her way out of the Staging Area. She nervously made her way over to Asashio until they were standing side by side. She didn't say anything initially, and sat there looking at the course in front of them. No doubt determining where each of them would go.

Using a loudspeaker, Daimlon projected his voice out to them. "You have five minutes to run this course. I'll give you sixty seconds to instruct Asashio on what to do, but once the sixty seconds are up, your time will begin. Understood?" He said.

Jintsuu turned around and gave him a thumbs up. With that, Jintsuu turned to Asashio. "Alright, are you ready?" She asked.

Asashio didn't budge, and just continued looking at the course. Awkwardly, Jintsuu brushed her silence aside and told her what she wanted her to do. "Okay, so to start off with, you'll sweep wide to the left and then converge on the center..." She explained diligently. Asashio listened closely without saying a word for the entire sixty seconds.

"...Are you.. Listening at all?.. Hello?" Jintsuu asked, unsure if she was being ignored or not.

"Yes, I am." Asashio stated.

Jintsuu smiled weakly. "Good. Let's do this." She said encouragingly.

Jintsuu took her starting position, and Daimlon's voice echoed through the air once more. "Your test will begin in five."

Asashio cleared the lump in her throat.

"Four." Jintsuu took her ready stance to the right of Asashio.

"Three." Asashio could feel the determination radiating off Jintsuu next to her.

"Two." Asashio silenced her mind, and prepared herself.

"One. Begin!" Daimlon shouted. With that, Jintsuu rushed off toward the targets, Asashio staying perfectly still. Jintsuu didn't even notice at first, and began moving within range of the targets.

She swept to the right, and released her first shots at the first target. With her second shot, she nailed the target and moved on. When she knocked down her second target, the lack of a second set of gunfire broke her concentration.

Jintsuu turned around to see Asashio standing there, her head down to hide her eyes behind her bangs. "What are you doing!?" Jintsuu shouted, genuinely concerned something was wrong with her.

Asashio swept her feelings aside, and assumed a stone cold face. Without a response, Jintsuu rushed over to find out what was wrong. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Jintsuu asked.

"I'm fine." Asashio's cold voice briefly filled the air.

"Then what's wrong?" Jintsuu asked her, speaking quickly to save precious time.

"Nothing." Asashio responded.

"Then come on, let's go." Jintsuu said eagerly.

Asashio looked up, and glared at Jintsuu. "I'm not going to do that." She explained coldly.

Jintsuu was beginning to realize what was really going on. "Why not?" She asked after a short pause.

"Because I'm not going to follow you anywhere." Asashio said, her face still made of stone.

Jintsuu could feel her stomach twist into knots. "What? Are you serious?" She asked.

Asashio didn't respond to her. "Why not!?" Jintsuu asked, almost in a shout.

Asashio closed the distance between their faces, and looked Jintsuu directly in the eye "Don't raise your voice to me." Asashio said as sternly as she could.

Jintsuu didn't have time to be intimidated by Asashio this time around. "Why won't you follow!? Explain that much to me!" Jintsuu exclaimed.

Asashio just stared her down for a few seconds. "Because you're unworthy of my respect." She stated.

Jintsuu couldn't believe it. It was already happening. "Since when?" She asked. "We got along fine up until now, why now when I need you most?"

"Since we first met, I had you pegged as a liability. You're a danger to us all, we can't have someone like that with our limited numbers and experience. I figure doing this will get you a few extra months of training." Asashio explained, not budging from her position just inches from Jintsuu.

Tears began to well up in Jintsuu's eyes. "Asashio, please. I could be scrapped if I do too poorly. Please help me out just this once." She begged. Her heart was slowly tearing into two pieces.

No response was heard for a couple seconds. "That's a shame. Good luck with that." Asashio said, finally creating some distance between the two and breaking eye contact.

Jintsuu could feel herself boiling over. "No!" She shouted. "I refuse to be scrapped like a piece of junk. You're helping me whether you like it or not." Jintsuu said, a firm scowl across her face.

"Yeah? I'd like to see you make me." Asashio dared.

Jintsuu raised her weapon, pointing it at Asashio. Asashio seemed relatively unfazed by it. "For too long people like you have shoved my face into the dirt. It ends today." Jintsuu said.

Asashio gave her an annoyed sigh. "Put it away, we both know you're too soft to do something like that. Even if you weren't, it might take you a few shots to hit me from this distance." She said as she stared down the barrel of Jintsuu's gun.

Up in his tower, Daimlon watched on as Jintsuu pointed her barrel in Asashio's direction, who stood only three meters from her. He glanced over at the radio to cue Yuu, then back to the two girls in front of him. He could hear the conversation between the two on a separate radio since he had Asashio fix herself with a microphone.

"What are you doing? Tell Yuu to stop her already." Regina said, floating over his left shoulder.

Daimlon gave it a few moments. "No. I'm interested to see what happens." He said. A firm scowl across his face, he continued watching intently.

Nonna gave him a slight groan. "Ugh... I better go tell the repair bay to fill up a couple tubs." She said, completely unenthused. She immediately shoved off in that direction.

"Well.. You act like you were gonna do something, go ahead. Prove my point that you're nothing but a threat to us all." Asashio stated, keeping her cool while trying to defuse the situation.

"I'm only a threat to you right now. Go clear the course. Now." Jintsuu said sternly.

"I told you, I don't respect you. I won't." Asashio said, crossing her arms firmly.

Jintsuu could feel the hurricane of emotions swirling about inside her. She had enough bullshit for once, and was finally putting her foot down, but she still couldn't get Asashio to budge. Then, she made a connection.

Jintsuu smiled wryly at Asashio. "You don't respect me, huh? I know you respect _him_, though, given how much time you spend together." She raised her other arm, and aimed the gun directly at the tower. "Move even a muscle to stop me, and I'll shoot." She said.

Jintsuu just crossed a line in Asashio's mind. Before, Asashio was doing this because it was her Admiral's orders, but now she might have to do something more to protect that same Admiral. Something she might come to regret. "You're worse than I expected, dragging him into this. He's the only one trying to help you. I don't care what you do to me, but put the other one down." Asashio said, as she cautiously trawled forward to try and close some distance.

"Then do what I told you." Jintsuu responded as she trawled backward to keep the distance. She had no intention of pulling either trigger, and only needed to use the situation long enough to get Asashio moving.

There was a long pause. "Fine. I'll do it." Asashio said as she looked down at the water, defeated.

The moment the words left her mouth, Daimlon's voice filled the air. "Your time has expired, the test is over for today. Everyone return to the Staging Area." Daimlon said.

They both turned to the tower in a sense of disbelief that it had already been five minutes. Asashio realized Jintsuu was distracted by Daimlon as well, and moved in.

Without hesitation, she kicked the arm aimed at the tower with her left leg, throwing it off aim. At the same time, she used her left hand to push the cannon aimed at her away, and then pivoted her heel to bring the back of her leg to bear on Jintsuu. She wrapped her leg around Jintsuu's neck at the knee. Asashio pivoted her hip, and followed it all the way through, forcing Jintsuu to fall. Asashio inevitably fell with her, and the two made a large splash as they crashed into the surface. Asashio was barely able to maintain a grip on Jintsuu's neck with her leg, but managed to lock her arms down. She securely pinned Jintsuu to the surface in the most awkward position she had ever been in, but it worked.

"Are you finished!?" Asashio asked demandingly.

Jintsuu was struggling to breathe as Asashio clenched her throat. With no answer, Asashio began forcibly disarming Jintsuu by tearing Jintsuu's guns off of her and tossing them into the water. Once Jintsuu was no threat to anyone, Asashio released her.

Jintsuu desperately gasped for air for a few seconds. Before Jintsuu could say anything to her, Asashio departed, leaving her alone in the middle of the harbor. Jintsuu just sat there for a few minutes, thinking about what she had done.

[Roughly fifteen minutes later]

After bringing Jintsuu and Yuu in from the harbor, Daimlon went back to his office immediately. He instantly called for Asashio to see him.

Asashio had a seat in front of his desk, her clothes still slightly damp from the encounter with Jintsuu.

"You know you took that a little overboard, right?" Daimlon said sternly as he stared at girl before him.

Asashio glanced down for a few seconds before returning to look him in the eye. "Yes, sir." She said.

"The objective was to see how she'd react, and get more insight into her personality, not make her feel inadequate. You handled that perfectly, save for the part where you repeatedly insulted her." Daimlon lectured. He propped his leg up onto his knee as he finished.

"I know, but I felt it necessary to tell her the truth. I had to list reasons for my disrespect, so why not go with the cold, hard truth?" Asashio reasoned as she sat up straight in her seat.

Daimlon sighed. He couldn't argue with her because ultimately, she wasn't wrong. "You know she's going to hate you for a long time for this, right?" He said.

"...I did it because I... I do care about her. If my actions cause her to wake up and improve, she could hate me for the rest of our days for all I care." Asashio stated, looking at him with stoic eyes.

Daimlon just smirked at her. "Didn't I say something eerily similar at one point or another?." He asked.

"I try to take notes." She said softly.

"..Regardless, you did well. I only wanted to make sure you knew you were a bit too harsh on her. Just try to make amends at some point, okay? We can't have infighting be a problem this early on." Daimlon said, leaning back in his chair.

Asashio stood from her seat and gave him a sharp salute. "Understood, sir. I apologize for complicating things for you." She said, dropping her salute as she finished.

Daimlon sat up in his seat. "Asashio, there's no need to apologize. Though you were a bit.. blunt. You gained us a sliver of insight, which is what we needed." He said calmly.

"You're talking about when she pulled the gun on me, right? She said something about people like me shoving her face in the dirt." Asashio said, seeking clarification.

"That's right. It's a small clue, but fairly significant." Daimlon said. "Anyway, your small lecture is over. You're dismissed, Asashio. Good work." He stood from his seat and gave her a sharp salute.

Asashio immediately returned it. "Thank you, Commander." Asashio said. They both dropped their salutes, and Asashio headed for the door.

"Oh, by the way." Daimlon stated, stopping Asashio just before her hand touched the handle. Asashio turned to face him. "That was a damn clean take down. Remind me not to make you angry." He said, offering her a half smile.

Asashio gave him a warm smile. "There's nothing you could do to make me angry, Commander." She said. With that, she opened the door, and walked out.

Now it was time for the much bigger lecture - Jintsuu's. As much as he didn't want to do it, he knew he had to. He paged Regina. Regina promptly appeared in the room. "Are you ready for Jintsuu?" She asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead and send her in." Daimlon said.

"Do you want me to have someone hover just outside the door... Just in case she-" Regina began to ask, before being cut off.

"No, It'll be fine." He said.

Regina just looked at him for a second or two. "Of course. I'll send her in right away." She said, adjusting her glasses. She dissipated in her white smoke.

A couple minutes passed before the doorknob turned. No knock or anything, she just waltzed right in. It struck Daimlon as rather uncharacteristic of her. She also wore an empty look in her eyes.

She wordlessly walked over and had a seat in front of Daimlon, avoiding eye contact by staring at the floor.

"Alright, Jintsuu... Take it away from the top, why would you threaten to shoot a teammate in a team exercise?" Daimlon asked calmly.

"She was uncooperative, so I did what I felt was necessary to get her to listen." She explained in a simple tone.

This wasn't Jintsuu he was talking to. She wasn't stumbling over her own words, and she was too calm. This was someone else. "So you'd kill your own people to enforce your orders?" He asked.

"Yes." She said simply.

Daimlon just sighed. "That's not leadership at all, Jintsuu. We're not Russian." He said. He was about to say more, but didn't have a chance to.

"Could've fooled me with how quick she was willing to put a knife in my back." She explained calmly, still refusing to look into his eyes.

"You were the leader for the mission, so it was up to you to get her to do what she normally wouldn't. That's what a leader does." He said.

Jintsuu gave a small chuckle. "Hah. It's so convenient. How you're defending her. You're probably dating, aren't you?" Jintsuu said, not moving a muscle.

"Don't worry, I've already given her an ear full, I never said she didn't do anything wrong. Worry about yourself." Daimlon said, dodging the loaded question.

Nothing was said for a few seconds. "I'm done worrying. It's all I've done for as long as I can remember, anyway." She remarked in a low tone.

Daimlon thought about what to say next for a moment or two. "Jintsuu, during the test, you said something about people always shoving your face in dirt. What did you mean by that?" He asked her, placing his leg on his knee.

"I guess your girlfriend shares everything with you." She said. She finally looked up at him, and looked him in the eye. "Do me a favor and stop trying to pry into my business." She said.

Daimlon decided it would be best if he ignored the 'girlfriend' statement entirely. He honestly felt like he was talking to Sendai instead with how crude she was. "Why should I? Is there something you're trying to hide?... I'm just trying to help you." He said as earnestly as he could.

"Can it, already. We both know you don't give a damn about me, so drop the act." She said, propping her head up against her fist.

The more this conversation continued, the more he felt like Jintsuu was possessed by someone else. Daimlon just gave a sigh before he continued. "Here's the thing, Jintsuu. I do care. I-" He said, being cut off.

"Why would you care about me? I'm useless, nothing but a liability. It's like caring about a broken tool. Don't feed me that crap." She said with a stoic face.

"Broken tools can be fixed. So can you." He said.

Jintsuu just chuckled. "I've heard that one before." She murmured.

Daimlon couldn't quite hear what she said. "I'm sorry?" He asked.

Jintsuu didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Just leave me alone, okay? No one's ever cared about me before, you don't have to pretend like you do." Jintsuu felt tears start to well up in her eyes, but she fought them back as hard as she could. She wasn't doing a very good job, though.

"For the last time, Jintsuu-" He said, before being cut off again.

"Shut up!" She shouted at the top of her lungs as she stood from her seat. "I'm tired of everyone claiming to care and then doing nothing! I'm tired of people saying they'll be there, then turning their back when I need them most! I'm tired of caring!" She shouted, her voice wavering as the tears began to flow. "I'm so sick of giving everything I have every day only to be told I'm useless, and that I'm a liability!" Her face quickly turned red. "I'm tired of everything I do backfiring!"

She stormed over to the door, as more tears rolled down her face. "Just do us both a favor and scrap me. I'm done." She said. Before Daimlon could have a chance to speak up, she ran out.

Daimlon just leaned back in his seat, slightly relieved. That was much closer to the reaction he expected from her, and felt far more like Jintsuu than the rest of their conversation. He was still concerned about her, but he decided to let her go for now. There was no way they'd be having any constructive conversations any time soon. He began taking notes on things she said during their short conversation he felt were important.

In the end, it was her final outburst that proved most insightful. An indication that people being unable to help her before weighs on her, indication that she's felt abandoned at least once, and overall indication of fatigue from worrying about her problem too much. With these new assumptions along with others gained throughout the tests, he was able to go back to his notes and further elaborate upon them.

He spent the next thirty minutes doing so, but came no closer to a solid conclusion. Again, simply not enough data that isn't an assumption. He was able to weed out a few more theories he had, but he still had too many unknowns. There was suddenly a knock on the door.

"Come in." He said, folding up his notes into his folder. Asashio walked through the door, wearing a fresh set of clothes. He pulled his notes back out when he saw it was Asashio.

"I heard Jintsuu didn't take it so well." Asashio said as she walked over to the Secretary's desk.

"Who told you that?" He asked.

"Jintsuu walked past me. The fact that she was red faced and had tears rolling down her cheeks kind of gave it away." She stated as she had a seat.

Daimlon wasn't sure where to start. "I felt like I wasn't talking to Jintsuu for most of the conversation. She was apathetic, dreary, and crude." Daimlon said.

Asashio adjusted herself in her seat. "So what happened?" Asashio asked.

Daimlon eagerly told her everything noteworthy that she said, but conveniently left out the parts where Jintsuu implied they were together.

"Sounds like it was a lot of self deprecation followed by a frustrated outburst. Not surprising if you consider how long she's probably been dealing with this." Asashio said.

"Agreed, but it doesn't make me worry any less." He said as he continued filling out his plethora of notes.

Asashio watched him fill out his notes for a couple seconds. "Still trying to make assumptions on what her problem might be?" She asked.

"Yeah, and while it's narrowing down, it's not narrow enough. I still haven't even determined if I should be tough on her or not. I've been playing a middle ground for so long, I might just stick with it." He said, openly presenting his own thoughts.

Asashio couldn't help but wonder herself if her tough love would actually help her as much as being gentle with her. A few moments passed as Asashio continued to think. "Daimlon. What did Jintsuu say in her final outburst again? Word for word." She asked.

Daimlon flipped over to a different sheet of his notes, and read what he had written down. "She said 'I'm tired of everyone claiming to care and then doing nothing. I'm tired of-'" He said, before being cut off.

"That's enough right there." She said, continuing to ponder inside her own mind.

"What is it? Do you have something?" Daimlon asked her.

Asashio gave him a weak smile. "Okay. Now remember several days ago, when it was just me and Jintsuu. We just got back from an expedition and we were discussing your notes while I was eating curry. Do you remember that day?" She asked him.

"Yeah, of course." He said.

"Alright, I remember asking you if it could be an abusive admiral that caused her initial spiral downward. You said something along the lines of 'It's unlikely, most Admirals I've met-'" She said until Daimlon took it away for her.

"Are about the nicest people you could meet. I remember that." Daimlon said, nodding at her.

"Now, if they're all _so_ nice, and they all claim to care... I'd be willing to bet at least half of them tried being really nice with her. So we'll go with a split down the middle and say three tried doing it the nice way, while two tried doing it in the middle ground like you are now, which would make you the third. Follow me?" Asashio continued to explain.

Daimlon smiled as he realized where she was going with this. "Yeah." He said eagerly.

"So, theoretically, we'd be more likely to find success in doing something no one's done before instead of replicating one of the other failed approaches." Asashio explained professionally.

Daimlon was impressed by her deduction, and it did make a lot of sense. "Your reasoning is solid, but the problem is we're going off assumptions again." Daimlon argued.

"Assumptions are all we have, and I think that's all we're going to get. Plus, I was harsh with her just today and we made more progress today than we ever have." Asashio said.

"I don't know. After talking with her, I'm not so sure harsh was the right way to go." Daimlon said, leaning back in his chair a little.

"It may not seem like it at first, but it makes sense if you think about the big picture. She's probably crying her eyes out, wishing she was dead in her room right now, but tomorrow she could be more motivated than ever to prove us wrong." Asashio said, crossing her arms firmly.

A moment or two of silence passed as Daimlon thought about it. "Just the other day, Sendai told me that Jintsuu constantly seeks the approval of others. It would make sense that she'd want to earn your respect now that she knows she doesn't have it." Daimlon thought to himself aloud. He continued to think about it for a couple seconds. "Tell you what. I'm gonna wait and see how she handles this in the coming days. If it seems to have spurred something on in her, then obviously your harsh words got through to her, and you're right. In that case.." He said as he looked directly at Asashio. "Then I'll have to agree with you that maybe being harsh on someone this delicate just might be the key."

Asashio smiled at him, obviously slightly proud of her own contribution. "At least we're making progress." She said.

"What would I do without you?" He asked in the form of a statement as he immediately began scribbling on his notes again with increased fervor.

"You give me too much credit." Asashio said with a slight laugh. "You're the one collecting all this information. I just offered a different perspective."

Daimlon just glanced up at her. "You've offered much more than that, Asashio." Daimlon said before promptly returning to his notes.

Asashio looked over to the side of the room, a smirk still on her face. "Well. Not _that _much." Asashio said in a low tone.

"Would you shut up and take the compliment?" Daimlon said with a smile.

Asashio gave a solid laugh. "Okay, okay, thank you. I don't know what you'd do." She said, still smiling.

A few moments of silence fell.

"Say, Daimlon. I wanna ask you something." Asashio said.

"Mmm?" He groaned in response, still writing on his notes.

"I sit in this seat more often than not. Why don't you have a secretary?" Asashio asked.

"I don't need one right now." Daimlon began to explain as he looked up at her. "Once we have more going on than I alone can manage, I'll have one. I don't think I'll need one until we run at least a few fleets strong." He explained.

She nervously twiddled her fingers. "Do you have.. anyone in mind at the moment?" She asked.

"Yeah. The person sitting in the seat right now is pretty much my first choice at the moment. That could change, though." Daimlon said, still tending to his notes.

Asashio just smiled. She always wanted to try being Daimlon's official secretary, but she would have to wait and continue to show promise.

Suddenly, Regina appeared in the room.

Daimlon looked up to see who it was. "Daimlon, the scouting party has returned." She said.

"Good. Have Sendai report to me with all her data immediately. The other two can be dismissed to rearm at the Mess Hall." Daimlon said as he glanced at the clock, noticing it was almost lunch time.

Regina gave a solid salute. "Understood." She said, and with that she was gone.

"I guess this'll have to wait until later. We have bigger fish to fry at the moment" Daimlon said, packing his notes away. _"I just need to be sure I don't forget anything."_ He thought to himself.

"Alright. Then I'll take my leave, Commander." Asashio said formally as she stood.

"Asashio, stay in the Secretary's seat. I want you to sit in from time to time so you can familiarize yourself. That way you're ready when I _do_ need a secretary. Sound good?" Daimlon explained as he continued to prepare for the information he was about to receive.

Asashio couldn't hide the smirk that crept onto her face. "Of course." Asashio immediately took her seat again.

The two of them waited patiently for a knock on the door. The door knob began to turn, and suddenly sprung back into place. After a brief pause, there were a couple knocks.

"Come in." Daimlon said in a slightly raised voice. Sendai walked through with a folder in her hand.

"See? I knocked this time." Sendai said, proud of herself.

"You almost didn't, though." Daimlon said.

"But I did, and that's all that counts." Sendai said as she marched over to Daimlon's desk, slamming the folder down on his empty desk.

Daimlon looked over at Asashio and motioned for her to come over to his desk with his finger. She immediately stood and hovered over the desk, ready to take notes on how Daimlon wanted to receive his intel.

"Anyway, you're gonna be _thrilled_ at what we found!" Sendai said excitedly. She opened the folder, revealing a stack of large polaroids from her aircraft.

Daimlon picked up the first picture, which was of the entrance to the Abyssal Harbor. Other than two small defense guns, it was barren. "What am I looking at, exactly?" Daimlon asked her.

Sendai took the liberty of borrowing one of Daimlon's pens. She hovered it over the waters just outside the entrance. "Do you see it?" She asked.

"See what?" He asked.

"Exactly, there's no naval mines at the entrance, and my aircraft didn't pick up any in the surrounding waters, either. It's only defended by two single barrel 120mm cannons. There are other cannons sprinkled throughout the base, but they shouldn't be too much of an issue." Sendai explained eagerly.

She restlessly flipped over to the next picture, which was of the base itself. "Alright, do you see any landing strips? Because I sure don't." Sendai said.

Daimlon scanned the picture diligently. "I don't see anything that could be an airstrip. But I think I see a couple fuel tanks over here." He said, pointing over to the left side of the base.

"There's a munitions depot just below it, too." Asashio said.

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Their supplies are right next to each other, we set the munitions depot up, the fuel depot goes up too." Sendai said.

"Are you serious? What kind of base design is this? Like they're not even trying." Daimlon said in disbelief.

"Look at how little surface area there is, everything is crammed together. The island is too small for a base any bigger than this." Sendai said.

"They probably didn't plan on turning this into a full scale base, but ended up doing so anyway." Asashio said, thinking aloud.

"Agreed, definitely must have been nothing more than a pit stop for their ships in the area to refuel and rearm.. Now what about the ships they have running defense?" Daimlon asked.

Sendai eagerly flipped through the set of polaroids, each containing a unique set of ships running their patrols. Almost every single ship was a Destroyer, with the occasional Light Cruiser. "Their defenses are surprisingly light. I guess most of them are too busy on attack sorties. They're overconfident." Sendai explained with a smile on her face.

Daimlon was kind of surprised at how into this Sendai was getting, but he liked it that she had already deciphered everything for him. He expected to have to sift through everything himself. "That's some good work, Sendai. This should be a piece of cake." Daimlon said.

"Wait, we're not done yet. This is the part you're going to love." Sendai said. She quickly flipped over to the last polaroid, which depicted the entirety of their harbor, ports and all. "See it?" She asked.

Daimlon took a look. The black shapes in the water, which Daimlon assumed were enemy ships, were parked right next to each other in neat rows while they were at port. "They even lined themselves up for us?" Daimlon smiled in disbelief. The entire base was a ticking time bomb.

"Well, yeah. But look over here." Sendai said, pointing to the opposite side of the occupied port.

Daimlon leaned in to get a closer look. There was definitely something there, but he couldn't make it out. It was more of a grey in the black and white picture, making it hard to get a read on its details. "What is it?" He asked.

Sendai just chuckled at him with a huge grin on her face. "Hehe... It's a Battleship!" She said excitedly.

Daimlon just stared at it for a few moments more. "You're kidding me, right?" Daimlon asked.

"I.. I'm afraid it is a Battleship." Asashio said, confirming it.

"Well... One Battleship shouldn't be too much of an issue. We'll just have to sink it in a surprise attack." Daimlon said.

There were a few moments of silence. "What? There is only _one_ Battleship, right?" Daimlon asked.

"Relax. There's only one. As long as we sink it early in the fight, we'll be fine." Sendai said, fighting the urge to mislead him to believe there were actually ten.

"Okay. I can deal with it. You give some and you take some, right? Plus we should have some heavier guns on the way soon." Daimlon said confidently.

"Why's that?" Asashio asked.

Daimlon sat back down in his seat. "Before the end of the day, I'm going to dump all of our resources into one construction, and hopefully get a Heavy Cruiser or a Battleship of our own." He explained.

"I personally can't wait to get an Aircraft Carrier of some sort." Asashio said.

"Agreed. Their flexibility is unrivaled." Daimlon stated.

"Uh, I'm gonna go eat now." Sendai said in a dull tone. Just as she finished speaking, her stomach growled violently.

"Alright, Sendai, quit twisting my arm. Go ahead and rearm. Good job today." Daimlon joked.

"Don't have to tell me twice. See ya!" Sendai said as she bolted for the door.

"One more thing, Sendai." Daimlon said, stopping her. Sendai just turned around to look at him. "Jintsuu had a rough day. Make sure she's doing alright, okay?" Daimlon said.

"What happened?" Sendai asked, taking a step away from the door.

"I'll fill you in later, or you can ask her yourself. Go eat first." Daimlon said.

Sendai just nodded at him, and hurried out the door, obviously concerned about her sister ship.

A few moments of silence fell between Daimlon and Asashio, the stack of polaroids still scattered on his desk.

"You do know Sendai is going to hate your guts more than Jintsuu... Right?" Daimlon asked Asashio, looking into her eyes.

Asashio gave him a faint smile as she exhaled sharply through her nose in a mild chuckle, and looked out the window behind Daimlon. "Yeah." She said in a bittersweet tone.


	9. Bump in the Road

Sendai walked through the front door of the Crew Quarters, her eyes locked on the door to Jintsuu's room. She wasn't terribly concerned about what happened, expecting it to be a totally trivial matter. _'She probably tripped or something, and felt too embarrassed to show her face again.' _Sendai thought to herself, a half smile on her face. Still, Sendai always loved feeling like the dependable older sister, and she was eager to dust off Jintsuu's shoulders and get her back on her feet.

She calmly approached the door to Jintsuu's room, and gave it a few knocks. She immediately reached for the door knob, only to find it was locked when she tried to twist it. _'Must've been one hell of a tumble.' _Sendai thought to herself. "Oh, Jintsuu. Open up, It's me." She stated in a raised voice, trying to get her to unlock it.

No response, not even a peep. "Don't make me kick the door down." Sendai shouted in a polite tone, crossing her arms as she waited. Still nothing. Sendai pressed her ear against the door to try and hear if Jintsuu was coming to unlock it. She heard some quiet commotion going on, but couldn't make out what it was exactly. She did, however, hear the unmistakable sound of sniffling once. After a short pause, Sendai heard the soft patter of steps closing in on the door.

Sendai stepped back, and the door opened. Jintsuu showed her face with a smile. "Hey, Sendai." She said. Jintsuu's cheeks were red and puffy, her eyes slightly swollen. There was no doubt about it to Sendai, Jintsuu had been crying.

Sendai just smiled back. _'Why does she always have to hide it?' _Sendai thought to herself, slightly annoyed. She just wordlessly invited herself into Jintsuu's room, Jintsuu closing the door after she was in. "Alright, spill it. What have you been crying about?" Sendai asked, direct as always.

"Hm? I haven't been crying. What makes you think that?" Jintsuu said, giving Sendai an odd look.

Sendai just turned to look at her and sighed. "It's written all over your face. That, and you never lock your door." Sendai stated. She crossed her arms firmly, asserting that she wasn't buying Jintsuu's act. Although Sendai was initially unconcerned, it was clear now that something relatively serious occurred.

Jintsuu sighed. "Sendai, you're my sister. I wouldn't try to hide anything th-" She began to reason before being cut off.

"Don't even finish that sentence, because we both know it's a lie!" Sendai said in a raised voice. "...You do hide it. You hide _everything_, even from me." Sendai said in a much calmer tone. There was a moment of silence as Jintsuu just looked down at the floor, averting her gaze. "Now tell me what happened." Sendai said calmly.

Jintsuu was struggling to keep her act together. She was trembling, fighting the urge to break down and cry. She felt like if she responded in any way, she would break, but she had to say something. _Anything_. Jintsuu finally spoke up. "N-Nothing happ-" Without hesitation, Sendai slapped her. The sound echoed through the silent room. Sendai immediately followed it up by wrapping her arms around Jintsuu.

"You don't have to lie to me, Jintsuu. I love you more than anything." Sendai said softly. By this time, Jintsuu had already lost it, and was silently sobbing as tears rolled down her face. "You know you can trust me, but you keep me in the dark. It terrifies me that you're so willing to act like everything is fine. It scares me that you'd lie to anyone, including me, to cover up the fact that you're suffering. You don't have to shoulder it alone, I'm right here and I always will be." Sendai said, tightening her grip around Jintsuu.

Jintsuu gently returned Sendai's embrace as she buried her face into her shoulder. "I love you too." Jintsuu said, her voice was rough and coarse. "I'm sorry."

There were no more words for the next few minutes as Sendai just held Jintsuu in her arms. Sendai was willing to stand there all day if necessary. After Jintsuu seemed to calm down a bit, Sendai spoke up. "Now why don't you tell me what happened? Start from the top." She said.

Jintsuu broke from the embrace. "Where do I even start?" She asked herself as she fell to the floor. She propped herself up against the wall as she sat, Sendai went ahead and sat in front of her. Over the next hour, Jintsuu told Sendai everything that had happened during and after her test. In her guilt, however, Jintsuu neglected to mention that she threatened Daimlon during the test.

* * *

Asashio continued helping Daimlon for a few more hours to plan tomorrow's test, and plan for the attack on UG Island. Daimlon had even dumped all of their remaining resources into a new construction project. The construction resulted in an identical timer to when they had obtained Sendai - ten hours, which wouldn't be finished until almost midnight. Afterward, Asashio found herself in the Mess Hall with Maikaze and Fubuki.

"So, how was the intel, Asashio?" Maikaze asked, before spooning food into her mouth.

Asashio gave her a weak smile. "It's proving to be quite valuable. Hopefully we'll be ready to go within a week." She said, digging in herself.

"Take your time, I'm in no rush to go anywhere." Maikaze said with a smile.

"I don't think anyone is really eager to go out there." Fubuki said. Fubuki had already eaten, but was staying around to chit chat.

"You can say that again." Maikaze stated.

"Just make sure you guys are ready when the time comes." Asashio said as she continued to eat.

"I'm always ready." Maikaze reassured as she finished the final bite of her food. "Anyway, it's time for my dance practice with Lilly, so I need to go find her."

"I'll go with you, I wouldn't mind tagging along." Fubuki said cheerfully with a smile.

"See you later, Asashio" Maikaze said before going to drop off her tray, and eventually heading out the door.

"Take care you two." Asashio returned. Fubuki just waved back at her with a smile before following Maikaze. _'Enjoy the tranquility while it lasts.'_ Asashio thought to herself as she watched them walk out. Asashio continued to eat by herself until she was finished.

She dropped her tray off and started heading towards the door. Daimlon had asked her to check on the Supply Depot to make sure everything was running smoothly. She would have to spend some time talking to Yuu - a hefty misfortune in Asashio's eyes, but she was more than willing to do it.

She stepped outside the Mess Hall and started walking toward the Supply Depot. She followed the wall of the Mess Hall until it ended at the corner of the building. A few steps after passing the corner, Asashio suddenly felt someone grab her.

It happened too fast. With no warning, Asashio found herself being held up, and forcibly thrown to the ground. She landed on the concrete so hard it knocked the wind out of her. She immediately began to writhe on the ground as she tried to force air into her lungs. That's when she saw Sendai standing over her. "You little fucking cunt." Sendai said in a sharp tone, a firm scowl across her face. "You think you're so fucking cool, don't you?" She asked.

Asashio couldn't even breathe, let alone respond. "Consider this your warning." Sendai said as she straddled herself on top of Asashio. "Don't." Sendai brought a clenched fist down on Asashio's face. "You ever." Sendai struck her with her other fist. Asashio could feel blood beginning to drip down the side of her face. "Disrespect her." Sendai punched her as hard as she could. "Like that." Again, Sendai struck Asashio. "Ever _again!_" Sendai shouted as she punched Asashio one final time.

Asashio's face was cut pretty bad, and was bleeding quite heavily. There was blood splatter all over the concrete and the wall of the Mess Hall next to her. Sendai wiped her bloodied knuckles off on Asashio's white shirt as if it were a towel, and immediately stood up. "You'd do well to remember that what you do to Jintsuu, you do to me. Bitch." Sendai spat, and with that she angrily marched back toward the Crew Quarters.

Asashio was still trying to force air into her lungs from being thrown on the ground. She rolled over and held herself up on her hands and knees, her face burned intensely with pain. There was a steady flow of blood coming from her mouth as she struggled to breathe, finally able to draw short breaths again. She spat a mouthful of blood on the concrete as she deepened her breaths. She took a few moments to calm herself, panting heavily as she watched the puddle of blood grow with every drop.

Asashio heard footsteps approach her from the direction of the Supply Depot, and saw a pair of black boots stop just before reaching her many droplets of blood scattered on the concrete. She looked up to see Yuu standing over her. Yuu crouched down a short distance from Asashio. "Are you okay?" She asked, her eyes as stoic as ever. Yuu was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and wasn't wearing her usual jacket, indicating she was busy working in the Supply Depot. She exposed a black undershirt that she wore beneath to allow her outfit to breathe while she worked.

Still panting to recover from her loss of breath, Asashio just looked back at the blood splatter. She simply nodded in acknowledgement. A small stream of blood began to run down from a cut above her eyebrow and into her eye. Yuu reached into her back pocket, and withdrew a handkerchief, immediately offering it to Asashio. Asashio took it, and wiped a good amount of blood off her face. "Thank you." Asashio said loosely, unable to speak properly. She offered it back to Yuu, which she took and shoved into her back pocket again.

"Forgive me for not intervening, I did not expect the situation to escalate like it did." Yuu explained professionally. She had seen the whole thing, and made sure Sendai was gone before approaching.

"Don't worry about it." Asashio said without moving her lips. Blood was already beginning to stream down her face from her several cuts again. Yuu stood from her crouch, and offered a hand to Asashio. Though Asashio took note of the hand offered to her, she stood up on her own.

"You should go see the Admiral about this." Yuu said in her signature calm tone.

"Yeah." Asashio muttered, as she clutched her face, still panting slightly.

"Do you need assistance?" Yuu asked her.

"No thanks." Asashio said simply before turning around and walking toward the HQ.

Yuu just watched her leave for a few moments. She took note of the ample amount of blood splattered on the ground. Yuu smiled faintly as she turned around to head back to work.

* * *

There was a knock on the door as Daimlon was enjoying a brief moment of down time, his feet propped up on his desk. "Come in!" Daimlon said.

The door opened, and Daimlon's jaw hit the floor. A bloody Asashio stepped through the door without as much as a word. He immediately stood up from his seat, placing his hands on his desk as he leaned forward. "Asashio!? What the hell happened?" Daimlon asked in a raised voice. He promptly walked out from behind the desks, over to Asashio.

Asashio just looked up at him, blood slowly dripping off her face onto her shirt. "I tripped." Asashio said simply. By this time, Asashio's face was beginning to swell, turning a mild shade of purple in some areas.

"Yeah, and hell froze over last night." Daimlon said, asserting his disbelief in her excuse.

Asashio just remained silent, still clutching her face to try and ease the bleeding.

Daimlon just gave her a heavy sigh. "Sendai did this to you, am I right?" Daimlon said.

Asashio nodded at him after a short delay. "Yeah." She said, still not moving her lips.

Daimlon took a deep breath. "I'll take care of her later. First I need to take care of you, follow me." Daimlon stated as he walked toward his bedroom door. The two of them walked into his room, closing the door behind them. "Have a seat on the edge of the bed." Daimlon instructed as he walked into his bathroom. Asashio had a seat, being careful not to bleed all over Daimlon's room.

Daimlon withdrew a rather large white metal box with a red cross on it from a cabinet in his bathroom. He walked back with it in hand, and set it on the bed. He had a seat on the chair at the desk, and wheeled it over next to his bed.

Daimlon reached behind her, opened his medical box, and withdrew a small rag and a pair of latex gloves. He promptly put the gloves on before wiping all the excess blood off of her. He then withdrew some cotton balls with a bottle of alcohol. "This is going to sting." Daimlon said, as he placed a cotton ball on the top of the bottle, and up ended it. He thoroughly wiped down all of her open wounds, refreshing with a new cotton ball every so often. Asashio barely winced at the sting from the alcohol.

Since kanmusu can't repair damage that is sustained outside of their kanmusu form, medical aid became an invaluable skill to all people involved with them. Daimlon was required to take an extensive class on treating all kinds of injuries, from simple cuts all the way to gunshots or broken limbs. Kanmusu are just as fragile as humans when outside their kanmusu form, and as such need to cared for when they are injured. Kanmusu heal exceptionally quickly, healing broken limbs in just a few weeks, but during the healing process they're totally exhausted while their body works away at such a rate.

Giving kanmusu medical attention despite their fast recovery time reduces the strain on their body, reduces chances of infection, and allows the wound(s) to heal up to three times faster than their already accelerated healing time. It wouldn't surprise Daimlon if Asashio was back to normal by the time she ate breakfast tomorrow. Although fairies such as Regina or Nonna are imprinted with the medical knowledge of a doctor, at no light expense to the Kanmusu program, Daimlon was free and didn't feel it necessary to bother them.

After disinfecting her cuts, Daimlon gave her a clean rag. "Here, apply pressure to stop the bleeding." Daimlon said.

"It hurts." Asashio stated as she applied pressure anyway.

"Asashio, I'm shocked to not see you in tears. You got messed up pretty bad." Daimlon said, giving her the truth. Daimlon was digging through his medical box, gathering bandages.

"It'll take more than a few cuts and bruises to make me cry." Asashio said, talking through the rag on her face. She was finally able to move her lips without causing excruciating pain anymore.

"How are your teeth? Does anything feel loose?" Daimlon asked her.

Asashio actually hadn't considered it, and checked all of her teeth with her tongue. A tooth on her bottom jaw felt incredibly loose, and caused excruciating pain when she touched it. She knew what had to be done. She reached inside her mouth, gripped it firmly, and pulled. With almost no effort, it came right out. Blood came flooding from the empty socket. "No, nothing feels loose." Asashio stated with a straight face.

Without a word, Daimlon just handed her some gauze. "I don't think that was a good idea." Daimlon said in a low voice, but he couldn't help but admire her resolve.

"Sorry." Asashio said as she bit the gauze in her mouth, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. Daimlon took Asashio's tooth from her, and put it in a small bag.

"I've seen what you can do. Is Sendai okay?" Daimlon asked, expecting Sendai to be twice as bad given Asashio's hand to hand demonstration.

Asashio momentarily took her gauze out. "She's fine. She caught me off guard, knocked the wind out of me and from there I couldn't even breathe." Asashio explained. She wanted to believe that she could've easily fended off Sendai had she known. She immediately put the gauze back in, biting firmly.

"Either way, she's getting an ear full about this." Daimlon said. He can't say this result was totally unexpected, but he did deem it as highly unlikely.

"Don't. I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I kind of feel like I deserved it anyway." Asashio said.

Daimlon just looked her in the eye. "If you think I'm going to let Sendai run around and beat the crap out of people, you are sorely mistaken. Behavior like that is completely unacceptable, and I _will not_ tolerate it." He stressed. He began bandaging Asashio's swollen face as he considered his options for punishment.

"She might do something worse when she finds out I went straight to you about it." Asashio said, slightly concerned at what else Sendai could do without a second thought.

"If she does, her ass is grass. I'll make sure her punishment is so bad she won't even consider doing this again." Daimlon stated. He was already thinking of making her clean the entire base from top to bottom.

"Just make sure it's not too harsh. It could have the opposite effect of what you want." Asashio said. With that, the final bandage was placed, and Daimlon began packing his supplies back in his box. "Thank you." Asashio said with what smile she was able to put up, which wasn't much.

"Don't mention it, it was in the job description." Daimlon joked, still packing his things. "Were there any witnesses?" He asked her. Asashio pulled her gauze out, and checked the bleeding with her tongue. It had already stopped.

"One. Yuu saw the whole thing. I think. If there were others, I don't know about them." Asashio said.

"One is enough. I just need an outside account so I can find any discrepancies when you both tell me exactly what happened." Daimlon said, closing his box of medical supplies.

Asashio just stayed quiet for a few moments, looking at the floor, unsure of whether or not she wanted to voice what came to her mind. "A-Are you sure we can trust her, though? How do we know she's going to speak the full truth?" Asashio asked, looking at Daimlon. She immediately felt like she had spoken out of line.

Daimlon just looked back at her. "What do you mean? I don't think she would have any reason to lie about it." He said, somewhat surprised by what he had just heard.

"N-Nothing, sir. It isn't my place to question things like that. Forgive me." Asashio said, embarrassed that she had said something like that. She felt her cheeks heat up slightly, and was thankful that her bandages would cover her blush for the most part.

"Asashio, if you have something to say, say it." Daimlon urged. If for whatever reason Asashio didn't trust Yuu, he wanted to know why. He didn't want any secrets on his base.

"I have nothing to say. I was only speaking hypothetically, sir." Asashio said, trying to cover for her own mistake.

Daimlon immediately had his doubts. Asashio wouldn't voice something like that if it was merely hypothetical. However, he decided to drop it, and pay attention to the matter in the coming weeks. "Alright. I think I can piece together what happened on my own, so if Yuu does lie, I don't think it would be too hard to figure it out. Anyway, we need to get you some ice." Daimlon said. He took his gloves off after throwing away any trash, and reached for his tablet. He immediately paged Nonna.

Nonna appeared in the room, and what Asashio and Daimlon saw surprised them both. Her hair was an absolute mess, and had a tub of ice cream in her hand. Her face and shirt were smeared with chocolate, and she was continuing to shovel ice cream into her mouth. She was possibly the messiest eater Daimlon had ever laid eyes on. "What do ya need?" Nonna asked, immediately stuffing her cheeks full with ice cream.

"Nonna, what the hell?" Daimlon asked in disbelief.

Nonna then took note of Asashio's face. "Whoa, what happened to you?" She asked, looking at Asashio.

Daimlon just looked at Asashio, then back to Nonna. "Let's just say Sendai didn't like how the test went." Daimlon said.

"I see. What are you going to do?" Nonna said, spooning more ice cream into her mouth.

"Before we get into that, what the hell are you doing?" Daimlon asked, referring to the ice cream.

"Oh, this? We made a bet, remember? Since she made it past day four, I won by default." Nonna said with a smile on her face, obviously proud of herself.

Daimlon had forgotten entirely about that bet they had made. "Okay, I don't have a problem with that, but why do you have to wear it?" He asked.

"I got a little carried away. I'll be more careful about that." Nonna said, slightly embarrassed.

"Thank you. Anyway, we need ice for her face to keep the swelling down. Do you think you could get a bag for me?" Daimlon said. Although she wasn't swelling half as bad as Daimlon would've expected, probably due to her recovery speed, Daimlon still felt it necessary.

Nonna just thought for a moment. She flew over to Asashio and held her tub of ice cream out. "Here, you can have the rest of this. It's still cold so it should help." Nonna said with a smile.

"But this is yours." Asashio said.

"You need it more than I do right now, besides I have thirty more where that came from." Nonna said.

Asashio hesitated for a moment. "Alright. Thank you." Asashio said. The tub was small, and had less than half remaining, but she was still grateful for it.

Nonna dissipated in white smoke, and promptly reappeared with a clean spoon in hand. She handed it off to Asashio. "You're welcome." Nonna said cheerfully.

"Just make sure you eat on the opposite side of the tooth you pulled." Daimlon said as he headed into his bathroom to put the medical box back where it belonged.

"Wait, what?" Nonna asked, somewhat frantically.

"She had a loose tooth, so she just pulled it out." Daimlon said, his voice echoing from his bathroom.

"Are you serious!? Why would you do that? There are so many things that could go wrong from doing that. Why did you let her do that!?" Nonna said somewhat angrily, looking at Daimlon as he walked back into the room.

"She didn't tell me she was going to. She just did it. I didn't know. I told her it was a bad idea afterward." Daimlon said, defending himself.

Nonna just glared at Asashio before dissipating. She reappeared with a small flashlight in hand. "Open your mouth." Nonna instructed.

"It was too loose, and it hurt, so I just pulled it out." Asashio said, before opening her mouth. Nonna peered inside, her small size giving her a close view of the empty socket.

"You really did. I cannot believe you. You better hope that doesn't get infected, or it'll be a world of trouble. We'll have to give you an implant so we can bridge the gap." Nonna said as she turned her flashlight off. "You should've told me, your tooth probably could've been repaired."

Asashio sighed, already regretting her decision to alleviate her own pain. "I'm sorry, I didn't think it would cause any issues." Asashio said.

"As long as this serves as a lesson. We can get your implant in tonight if you want. The sooner the better." Nonna said.

"Sounds fine to me. How long am I going to have to be taken off mission ready status?" Asashio asked, concerned she might miss the upcoming mission.

"Depends on how the operation goes. Given how quickly you guys can heal, it could be anywhere from one day to one week. I'll have to talk to Daimlon about it after the operation, and I'll give him my own opinion, but the decision will ultimately be his." Nonna explained.

Asashio looked up at Daimlon, almost pleading with him to make it as short as possible. "I'll pass that decision on to you, Asashio. Any minute now you'll feel like you got hit by a truck, and you'll barely be able to stand. Only you can tell me if you can fight, and I won't make you if you can't." Daimlon said professionally.

"Okay. Thank you." Asashio said.

"For now, you should go to your room and get ready to rest. Your body is going to make you, whether you like it or not. I'll stop by and check on you whenever I can, and we can get the implant in by nightfall. Also, we have no anesthetics on hand at the moment, so the operation isn't going to be pleasant." Nonna said, being as honest as possible with her.

"Sounds like fun." Asashio said sarcastically as she stood. "I'm gonna go change into clean clothes. Thanks again, both of you." She said as she headed for the door. With that, the battered Asashio walked out, and went back to her room, being careful not to run into Sendai again. She dumped the empty tub of ice cream in a trash can, and dropped the dirty spoon off at the Mess Hall on her way.

"You sure do make a lot of work for yourself... And me." Nonna joked.

"I know." Daimlon sighed. "I'm confident that things will work out in the end, though." He said.

"I hope you're right." Nonna said.

Daimlon looked at Nonna. "Me too." He said, some doubt lingering in his voice.

* * *

Shigure stirred slowly as she woke from her nap after the early morning scouting mission. She glanced up at the time, to find it was only a few hours after she had fallen asleep. She tried falling back asleep for another ten minutes, but she couldn't. Frustrated, she got up despite being more tired than when she had gone to bed. She looked in the mirror, and spent a little time making her hair look nice. With a yawn, she headed for the door, eager for some food.

She stepped out into the hallway, the door to her room closing in it's own. As she was nearing the front door, it opened, and Asashio stepped through. Her shirt covered in blood, and her face swollen and bandaged. Shigure's stomach dropped the moment she saw how much blood was on her shirt.

"Hey, Shigure." Asashio said as she continued to walk past her.

"Uh." Shigure took a moment to get her footing again. "Asashio, what happened?" She asked as politely as she could.

"Oh, nothing too bad." Asashio said, stopping to turn around to look at Shigure.

"Are you okay? Do you need any help?" Shigure asked, concerned about Asashio.

"I should be fine. Thanks, though." Asashio said with what smile she could muster.

"What happened?" Shigure asked.

Asashio knew she was running out of time. "If you really want to know, follow me." She said as she turned to go to her room.

Shigure wasn't sure if she _really_ wanted to know, but she followed anyway. She stepped through the door into Asashio's room, the first time she had been in anyone's room but her own. Once the door closed behind her, Asashio began her explanation.

"Sendai did this. I pissed her off, and she took me by surprise and punched me more than a few times." Asashio said.

"What?" Shigure could hardly believe it. "What did you do?" She asked.

Asashio took her shirt off, and started digging in her dresser for a clean one. Despite having a bra on, Shigure immediately shielded her eyes.

"Relax, Shigure. I don't care, you're gonna see it someday anyway." Asashio stated.

"I just didn't want to intrude on your privacy." Shigure said, lowering her hand.

"I made Jintsuu feel bad. I assume Jintsuu told Sendai, and Sendai found me to do this to me." Asashio said, pointing at her own face.

Shigure immediately began looking at Sendai in an entirely different light. "I can understand wanting to protect your sister, but that's too far." Shigure said, almost thinking aloud.

Asashio finally found what she wanted to wear during her rest period, a plain white T-shirt with a pair of pajama shorts. Asashio took her skirt off, and replaced them with her shorts. "Agreed. I really wasn't expecting Sendai to d-" Without warning, Asashio felt it. The fatigue. She suddenly became dizzy, and her muscles felt incredibly weak. She had to brace herself on her dresser using all her strength, and she still nearly fell over.

Shigure ran up to her to catch her, afraid she was going to fall over. Shigure wrapped her arm around Asashio, helping her maintain her balance. "Careful. You know the fatigue hits you out of nowhere." Shigure said in a mildly lecturing tone.

"I know, but I still expected some warning." Asashio said, somewhat out of breath. Asashio struggled to get her shirt on, but with a little assistance from Shigure, finally got it on.

"Come on, let's get you into bed." Shigure said. Using Shigure as a crutch, Asashio made her way over to her futon. Shigure always loved the feeling she got when she helped others, even in the smallest of ways.

Once Asashio finally got settled in, she let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thanks Shigure." She said.

"It was my pleasure. I had a thought you might need help when the exhaustion hit you." Shigure said with a warm smile on her face.

Asashio didn't say anything, and just closed her eyes.

"Alright, if you need anymore help, let me know." Shigure said as she made her way back toward the door. Before Asashio could say anything, she was gone. Asashio lay in the silent room by herself for a few moments.

A couple minutes later, Shigure came back through the door with a book in hand, a warm smile on her face. She had a seat near the table in the back corner of the room, turning so she could watch over Asashio. She opened her book, flipping to the bookmark near the front, and began reading.

Asashio just let a moment of silence expire. "Thank you." She said as sincerely as she could. She was somewhat afraid of Sendai walking through, but it made her feel safe knowing that Shigure would be right there.

"There's no need to thank me." Shigure said in a quiet tone, still wearing that smile.

* * *

Sendai hesitated as she was about to walk through the door to Daimlon's office. She knew exactly why she was called into his office, and she wasn't sure how it would go. She kind of felt bad about what she had done, only mildly so, but she still felt justified by what Asashio had done to Jintsuu. Without even knocking, she walked in. Daimlon was looking at her with a face of stone.

"What did I tell you about knocking?" Daimlon asked her.

"Sorry, forgot." Sendai said, brushing it off. She walked over to the chair in front of Daimlon's desk and had a seat.

"I'm sure you know why you've been called here. Explain yourself." Daimlon demanded, his hands were clenched together as he waited for her response.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Sendai said, inspecting her nails after removing her arm sleeves.

"Sendai, I'm really not in the mood for your games." Daimlon said, already irritated with her.

Sendai just continued to inspect her nails for a few moments, intentionally drawing her attention away from Daimlon. "Really? That's good to hear." She said.

Daimlon could tell she was trying to get under his skin by being disrespectful. Unfortunately, it was working. "You're only digging your hole deeper, Sendai." He said.

"Why? Just because I beat the snot out of that punk? She deserved it, there should be no hole." Sendai said, finally turning her attention to Daimlon.

"Unfortunately for you, there _is_ a hole. Why did you do it?" Daimlon demanded, he was growing tired of pressing for a simple answer.

Sendai just squinted her eyes slightly. "Shouldn't that be obvious? She intentionally screwed Jintsuu over just because she didn't like her. Someone had to teach her a lesson." She said.

"Sendai, I had already disciplined Asashio in a manner I felt appropriate. I don't need anyone running around punching people for their own personal revenge on top of it. Discipline is my responsibility and mine alone." Daimlon said, being extra careful with his wording to avoid telling any lies.

Sendai just chuckled at him. "What did you do? Slap her on the wrist?" Sendai joked.

"Her punishment will not be discussed with anyone else, just as yours won't be." Daimlon said.

"Why should I be punished? I was simply correcting her attitude problem for you. I did you a favor." Sendai argued.

"You're the only one with an attitude problem. And don't worry, you're not the only one being punished, Jintsuu's receiving a minor punishment as well." Daimlon said professionally. He crossed his arms firmly as he sat in his seat.

"For what!?" Sendai shouted.

"She raised her weapon, not only against a comrade, but her commanding officer as well. I don't know if she told you, but she threatened to kill both myself and Asashio since Asashio refused to cooperate." Daimlon stated.

"You're full of shit. She told me about doing that to Asashio, but she would never do something like that to you." Sendai said, in complete disbelief.

"But she did, Sendai. Whether you believe me or not, the fact remains that she did." Daimlon said.

Sendai just brushed him off. "You're making that up. She told me everything, and assured me it was the truth." Sendai said confidently.

"It may have been the truth, but perhaps it wasn't the full story. Maybe she wanted to protect your image of her by leaving out something that might damage it." Daimlon said.

Sendai just sat there silently as she thought about it. It wouldn't be outside of Jintsuu's character to do that at all. It made a lot of sense, but Sendai still wasn't buying it entirely.

"Anyway, we're not here to discuss Jintsuu. I just want to make one thing perfectly clear, Sendai." Daimlon said.

Sendai perked up, and looked at him.

"I want you to understand that you're never to raise your fist to someone like that ever again. I can understand wanting to protect your sibling, but saying you went overboard would be an understatement. If that's how you resolve your issues, then I can find someone to replace you who doesn't. I have no tolerance for bullying or discrimination, and I will make sure you are separated from Jintsuu if this happens again. Understood?" Daimlon said in a heavy tone, driving home the weight of his words.

Sendai didn't respond. Though Sendai would never admit it, she knew that what she had done was wrong.

"Did I make myself clear?" Daimlon demanded, raising his voice.

"Yes." Sendai said in a quiet voice.

"Good. In that case, I'll give you your punishment now. Rather light in my opinion, consider it a reward for a job well done on the scouting this morning." Daimlon said. He let a few moments of silence pass, making sure Sendai was paying attention. "You are to take care of Asashio during her recovery period. Anything she asks of you, do it. I also want you to have a calm discussion with her, and sincerely apologize to her. By the time she recovers, I want you two to be friends again. We can't afford to have conflict this early on, and especially before our first big operation." He finally finished.

"You're seriously forcing me to make up with her?" Sendai asked.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything. However, I would strongly advise you to do it." Daimlon said in an implicative tone. "When Asashio is fully recovered, I'll ask her a few questions about how it went, and if the answer I get is positive, you're off the hook. Above all I want you to establish yourselves as comrades again. We're throwing ourselves into the frying pan here soon, and any mistrust or conflict within the group could cost us greatly." Daimlon explained.

"It's a waste of time. We both know she wouldn't be willing to forgive me." Sendai reasoned.

"You don't know unless you try." Daimlon said. There were a few moments of silence. "Are you okay with doing this?" Daimlon asked.

Sendai just thought to herself for a while. She was still angry with Asashio, but at the same time, she knew that they would have to deal with each other for a long time to come. Reluctantly, Sendai came to her conclusion. "I'll try." She said quietly. Sendai wasn't willing to forgive Asashio, but she was willing to make a compromise.

"Glad to hear it." Daimlon said. "You'll start taking care of her tomorrow after her implant is in, when she'll need care the most."

"An implant?" Sendai questioned.

"For a tooth." Daimlon said in a simple tone.

Sendai just looked away, somewhat unnerved by the fact that Asashio would forever have one less tooth thanks to her. Daimlon couldn't help but admire the look of Sendai feeling some guilt. "If nothing else, I can apologize for that." Sendai said in a half joking manner.

"Well, I think that's all for now. Thank you for being reasonable, Sendai." Daimlon said, expressing some gratitude.

Sendai just gave a huge sigh. She tried organizing the hurricane of mixed feelings she was experiencing. "I wouldn't exactly call myself reasonable." Sendai admitted.

"Neither would I, but you just demonstrated that you can be. Do you remember what I told you when we first met? I seek people who strive for constant improvement. Admitting that you aren't reasonable is the first step to becoming a reasonable person." Daimlon reassured her.

"I guess." Sendai said as she scratched the back of her head. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you."

It took a little bit of effort, but Sendai was proving herself to be more reasonable than he ever expected. "Don't apologize to me. I'm not the one you inconvenienced. Just remember not to do anything like this again, okay?" Daimlon said.

"I'll try." Sendai stood from her seat to leave. "Also, Jintsuu wanted me to apologize for the way she acted toward you after the test." Sendai said.

"Tell her that if she wants to apologize she can do it in person." Daimlon said.

Sendai expected a response like that from Daimlon. "I can understand that. I'll tell her. See you later, Daimlon." Sendai said. With that Sendai headed toward the door.

"Goodbye Sendai." Daimlon said. The door closed behind Sendai, and Daimlon was incredibly pleased with the way things were beginning to turn out. He hoped this would be the last of Sendai and Asashio's issues with one another. However, something told him it wouldn't be that easy.

* * *

It was late at night, the moon was up among the stars as it was drawing closer to midnight. Daimlon stood in front of the Construction Yard with Nonna floating over his shoulder. Everyone else had already gone to bed.

"I can't believe you're still awake." Nonna said

"I can't sleep through something like this, it's been on my mind all day." Daimlon explained, eager to meet his newest ship. From the timer, he expected another Light Cruiser, considering it was identical to Sendai's.

The two of them continued to listen to the drones of construction emanating from the building before them. "By the way, while Asashio didn't seem to think so, her operation went over smoothly. She should be back on her feet within two days, but I would recommend taking her off mission ready status for at least three just to be safe." Nonna explained.

"Why didn't Asashio think so?" Daimlon questioned.

"Uh, I had to drill into her gums without any kind of pain killers, and while she toughed it out for a while, there was plenty of screaming and shouting. I could only imagine that would be the reason." Nonna said.

"How's she holding up now?" Daimlon asked, somewhat concerned after hearing how it went.

"She's fine now, but I don't think she's gonna be pulling any of her own teeth anytime soon." Nonna said with a smirk on her face.

"Well, that's good to hear. But I'll let her decide when she's ready to go on missions again. I'm not going to dictate when they feel battle ready or not." Daimlon said.

"You should be careful, Asashio seems like the type to force herself to fight even when she knows she isn't ready." Nonna argued, crossing her arms.

"I know. I want to see how much I can trust her in that respect." Daimlon said, smiling at her.

As Daimlon finished his sentence, the sounds of construction ceased. After a short delay, the gargantuan door began to open slowly. Unable to suppress his own excitement, he ducked below the door to allow himself in as quickly as possible.

He brushed aside the curtain that lie beyond, and only found a blinding light coming from the center of the room. Daimlon's eyes well adjusted to the dark, it was almost painful to look at, and shielded his eyes. "Hello, you must be my Admiral." A voice called from the center of the room.

"What's going on, why are you shining?" Daimlon asked. He looked over to see Nonna shielding her eyes with her forearm.

Behind his outstretched hand, he could see the blinding light dissipate for a moment. "Oh, Admiral, you're too kind." The feminine voice said with a giggle. Before he could even take a peek, the blinding light was focused back on them, but for a split second he could see a small portion of the rest of the room. The lights flickered on, and even then, Daimlon couldn't bring himself to look at the light that was shining at him.

"Why is she so bright, Nonna?" Daimlon asked, a little concerned he might have a defect.

"You look at me like I have an answer for you." Nonna said.

"Oh, stop it, you're making me blush." The feminine voice grew audibly excited at the 'compliments' she was receiving. Again for a split second, the light was taken off of them, then promptly back on.

"Look away for a second, could you?" Daimlon asked her.

"O-Okay." The voice said, and the light was immediately taken off of them. Daimlon lowered his hand, and could see her clearly for the first time. She had short brown hair with no particular hairstyle. She wore a standard uniform with a blue and white shirt, and solid blue skirt. Before long, the light had returned, and Daimlon had to shield his eyes again.

"Turn it off, turn the light off." Daimlon pleaded with her.

The girl just giggled. "You flatter me, Admiral. I didn't think anyone would go so far to compliment me." She said. Daimlon could almost hear the blush forming on her cheeks.

"You are shining a light in our eyes! Please stop!" Nonna shouted, growing irritated.

The two of them heard an audible gasp, and the light dissipated for the last time. The two of them finally laid their eyes on a girl not much larger than Sendai, her face beet red. "I -uh - I'm so sorry!" She said, stammering over herself initially.

"It's fine. Who are you?" Daimlon asked, finally able to approach her. It was then that Daimlon took note of something he had never seen before. She had a case of heterochromia. One eye was a bright brown, while the other was a pale white.

She tried gathering herself from her extreme embarrassment, but it took her a few moments.

"I'm the Heavy Cruiser Furutaka, name ship of my class! Again, I'm terribly sorry!" Furutaka said, still incredibly embarrassed that she thought he was complimenting her.

"I am Admiral Daimlon, it's a pleasure to meet you Furutaka. Now I have a question for you, why is one of your eyes white?" Daimlon asked, incredibly intrigued by her eyes.

"I-uh, That's what was blinding you. It's a searchlight." Furutaka explained, turning an even darker shade of red as she turned her face in a different direction, and flickered it on as a demonstration. "I didn't realize it was on, and I thought. You were just... Complimenting me." She said, her voice trailing off as she looked down to the floor. She felt like she could die of embarrassment.

"Relax, Furutaka. It's perfectly understandable. Don't sweat it." Daimlon said, trying to ease her discomfort. He could understand her position, and kind of felt bad for her.

Furutaka just took a deep breath. "I'm fine. It's a pleasure to meet you, Admiral Daimlon." She said, extending her hand with a smile.

Daimlon grabbed on, and the two shook hands. "Glad to have you, you're our first Heavy Cruiser. What kind of armament do you have?" Daimlon asked her, wanting to know exactly what he managed to get his hands on.

"I have six twenty centimeter cannons, twelve torpedo tubes, and a small array of AA weapons." Furutaka said proudly. "Unfortunately, I don't possess much more armor than a Light Cruiser, but I'm fast because of it."

"Glad to hear it, we're going to need some larger guns for our next mission." Daimlon stated.

Furutaka yawned, something that surprised Daimlon. "I feel like it's in the middle of the night. What time is it?" Furutaka asked.

"Almost midnight. Are you tired?" Daimlon asked.

"Upon construction, their level of fatigue matches what would be the norm for that time of day, so since it's night, she's probably ready for bed. You should probably get to bed too." Nonna lectured to Daimlon sternly.

Furutaka just nodded with a smile on her face. "That's right." She said.

"Alright, if you're tired then the tour will have to wait until tomorrow." Daimlon said. He didn't want to admit it, but he was incredibly tired himself.

"Should I show her to her room?" Nonna asked.

"If you would, please." Daimlon said.

"Very well, follow me." Nonna said before shoving off.

"Thank you, and again, it's a pleasure to be here Daimlon." Furutaka said.

"You can call me Don if you want. Don't mention it, I'm glad to have you." Daimlon said, smiling at her.

Furutaka began trailing behind Nonna. "Alright, Don. Goodnight." She said, looking behind her.

"Goodnight. Also, Furutaka." Daimlon said, getting her attention. "The situation is complicated, but some people aren't getting along well. Do us both a favor and try to stay out of it, okay?"

She nodded back at him. "I will. See you tomorrow." Furutaka said, following Nonna all the way to her room, where she would spend a few hours lamenting in her own embarrassment before finally heading off to sleep.

Daimlon figured it was time for bed himself, and began heading toward his room in the HQ. Overall, he was pleased with how today turned out when all things were considered.

**Author's Note: We're finally starting to dig into some of the larger ships, and I couldn't be more excited for the future of this story. I hope you share those feelings. Anyway, not much to say this time around, but I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Leave me your thoughts in a review, and let me know how I can improve. Thanks again guys, see you next time!**

**Don't forget to check out my Twitter account, (at sign)WixomFanFics, from time to time to learn more about when the next chapter will be posted. Have a good one!**


	10. Recuperation

**Author's Note: Here we are, at the big ten. If you've made it this far, I'm going to have to assume you're enjoying the story so far - or it's, at the very least, holding your attention. With that said, our journey has only just begun. We are still very much so in the preliminary stages, and I don't expect to see the story in full swing until a bit later. Unfortunately with this release, my first semester of college has begun, hence why it took so long to push this chapter out. This means that the story will take a back seat, and updates will slow down. I apologize for this, but I'm sure all of you will understand that choice, it's simply a no-brainer. **

**I will make one solemn promise to you, however. I WILL finish this story, even if it takes me the entire four years I'm in college, I will not see this story abandoned. If you see my story without an update for even several months, just know that I have not forgotten. I'm rather proud of this story I've concocted. It started out as a group of blotched shadows, nothing more than a bunch of ideas with nothing tying them together. I gave it flesh and an immense amount of thought, but I didn't expect to have it quickly shoot up to one of the more popular stories on this site, and I could never turn my back on it. So, to you the readers, I thank you all for supporting me and I'm especially thankful to those who review and offer consistent feedback. I wouldn't be here now, and I especially wouldn't be writing as well, if not for those who offered their assistance to help me improve my writing. You know who you are. **

**Anyway, with that out of the way, let's get back to the good stuff. Please enjoy reading Chapter 10!**

Sendai walked out of the Mess Hall, having just finished her breakfast. It was an absolutely beautiful early morning, the sun was just beginning to rise, and it was just the right temperature with a cool breeze blowing through. There were hardly any clouds in the sky, and the waters were smooth as glass. With a deep breath, she reluctantly picked her feet up and started walking to the Crew Quarters. Today, the most gorgeous day she'd ever seen, would be the first day she would look after Asashio, something she _really_ wasn't looking forward to. However, she was trying to stay as optimistic about it as possible.

She just eyed the silky smooth wake on the harbor as she continued strolling toward the Crew Quarters. _'It's only for a couple days, just grin and bear it.' _She thought to herself. Sendai opened the door to the Crew Quarters, and started down the hallway toward Asashio's room. She hesitated once she reached the door with Asashio's name tag on it. She lingered outside the door, thinking about what Asashio might say, or what Sendai herself would say to her. She half expected Asashio to turn her right around and reject her outright.

Sendai's concentration was broken when a door opened a little further down the hallway. A girl she hadn't seen before stepped out. She had a pale eye that demanded notice before anything else. Sendai caught herself staring at her white eye alone for at least several seconds, and only when she forced her attention away did Sendai notice this girl was smiling at her.

"Hello." Furutaka said cheerfully, widening her smile. Sendai could tell she had just woken up by her hair alone, which was moderately frayed.

"Uh.. Hello... Who are you?" Sendai said, still somewhat surprised at the sudden unfamiliar face.

Furutaka took several steps toward Sendai to close the distance between them. "My name is Furutaka, I'm a Heavy Cruiser and I was constructed last night. Pleased to meet ya." She said, being as friendly as possible.

Sendai finally returned her smile. "Heavy Cruiser? Glad to hear we have one. The name's Sendai, Light Cruiser." She said, extending her hand for a handshake.

Furutaka eagerly shook Sendai's hand. "I look forward to working with you." Furutaka said, still wearing that warm smile.

"Well, you won't have to wait long, we're gearing up soon to mount an attack. I imagine you'll be at the center of it." Sendai said.

Furutaka was immediately interested. "How soon?" She asked.

"Don't know, but I'd say within a week, maybe two." Sendai said, putting her finger up to her chin in thought for a moment.

Furutaka wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she could sense a mixture of excitement and dread build up within her. "Can't wait." She said calmly.

"So, what's with the eye?" Sendai asked, not afraid of crossing any lines.

"Oh, it's a spotlight." Furutaka explained.

Sendai just looked at it a little longer. "That's actually pretty cool. Why do you have it?" Sendai asked, already wondering if she could get one herself.

"I don't know. I had it when I was constructed." Furutaka said.

Sendai was almost a little bit jealous. Almost. "Well, regardless, it'll be a useful tool for sure in upcoming battles." Sendai said with a smile.

"Mhm. Anyway, I'm hungry, could you show me where we're supposed to eat?" Furutaka asked, still unaware of where anything in the base was located.

"Uh, about that. I can't _show_ you, unfortunately, I'm a little busy at the moment. But, if you go out this building and hang a left, it's the next building over. There should still be some Destroyers that would be willing to show you around." Sendai explained, almost wishing she had decided to ditch Asashio to give Furutaka a tour.

"I see. Very well then, I'll get someone to help me after I've eaten. Thank you for your help, Sendai." Furutaka said politely, smiling at her again.

"Anytime. If there's no one in there to help you, you can find me in this room so just come and get me." Sendai said, as she pointed over to the name tag on Asashio's door.

"I will." Furutaka said as she started walking down the hallway towards the door. "Thanks again, see ya later." She said, giving Sendai a little wave goodbye.

"See ya around." Sendai said. After Furutaka had walked out the door, Sendai finally turned her attention back to the door in front of her. She hesitated for several moments, and after a couple false starts, finally twisted the knob.

* * *

"It's a spotlight." Furutaka said with a cheerful smile on her face. She loved that she was always asked about her eye, it proved to be good for starting conversations.

"Wow! That's so freakin' cool!" Lilly stared at Furutaka in awe.

"It sounds really useful, especially at night." Fubuki stated from across the table.

"I'll say." Maikaze said through a cheek full of food.

The four girls were all seated at the same table as Maikaze and Furutaka ate their breakfast.

"So I hear we're going to be going on a mission soon?" Furutaka asked, curious to know more about this mission she heard about.

"That about sums it up. No one knows much more than that, though." Maikaze said after swallowing her food.

"I see. I guess we'll know more when we're supposed to." Furutaka stated.

"I hope so, nobody really knows. It'll be a first for everyone, even the Admiral." Maikaze said.

"Wait, what? The Admiral hasn't had a mission before?" Fubuki asked, shocked to hear that nobody had gone on at least one mission before.

"Nope. We're all about as green as they come." Maikaze said.

"Green? Nobody here is green." Lilly stated.

Furutaka couldn't help but smile at how clueless she was. "She's adorable." Furutaka stated to the others.

"Yes she is." Fubuki said, smiling herself.

"What?" Lilly asked innocently.

"Lilly, being green means that someone is inexperienced or new at what they do." Maikaze explained politely.

"Oh." Lilly said.

"Anyway, what's the Abyssal presence like here?" Furutaka asked, curious to see what they were facing against.

"Minimal at the moment. Just a few stray Destroyers here and there, but I can't imagine it'll stay that way for long." Maikaze said, taking another bite of her food as she finished.

"Really? I was told to expect up to a few Heavy Cruisers. I heard it from Daimlon himself." Fubuki said.

"Well, that's news to me." Maikaze stated, slightly irritated she was only just finding out.

"Regardless, I can't wait to get into some action." Furutaka said.

There were a few seconds of silence as nobody had anything to say.

"I heard that they were starting to become less active, and that everyone is going to be sent on a lot more offensive missions. Even the other bases." Lilly said, breaking the silence.

Everyone just stared at her for a second or two. "Where did you hear that?" Fubuki asked politely.

"I heard Regina talking about it to Donnie one day, she told him to expect more offensive orders." Lilly explained, somewhat nervous at all the stares she was receiving.

"That's better than what's _been_ happening. It's about time we came out of our foxholes and fought back instead of defending all the time." Maikaze said, almost in a grumble.

"So the Abyssals are starting to hold back, Lilly? Do you know why?" Fubuki asked her.

"I guess, I don't know." Lilly responded, shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm not sure if what you say is true, Lilly, but I hope it is. You can't win a war just by defense." Fubuki said.

"You said it. Even though I don't want to fight at all, we all know that it needs to be done, and we need to take the offense for once." Maikaze said.

The door to the Mess Hall opened, and everyone but Furutaka, who had her back to the door, noticed that Daimlon had walked in.

Furutaka was in the middle of her statement when Daimlon started walking over to the table. "It couldn't really be helped. Especially when you consider the fact that-" Fubuki and Maikaze both shushed Furutaka, interrupting her sentence.

Furutaka was completely surprised to see the reaction she got. "So Fubuki, why aren't you eating?" Maikaze asked her, almost insistently staring at her for a response.

"Oh, I already ate this morning, I had breakfast with Sendai." Fubuki stated. Daimlon finally arrived at the table, and stood over them.

"Morning, ladies. How are we all feeling?" He asked.

"I feel great!" Maikaze shouted with a smile.

Lilly and Fubuki both responded with a simple 'good'.

Daimlon smiled back at them, then looked over at Furutaka, who was just looking up at him. She was still somewhat lost as to what had just happened. "How about you, Furutaka? Sleep well?" He asked.

Furutaka hesitated a moment or two before giving her response. "Oh, I- I'm doing good." She said, forcing a smile as she finished.

"How about you, Admiral?" Maikaze asked Daimlon in return.

"I'm doing well. I trust you're all giving Furutaka a warm welcome." Daimlon stated.

"Of course." Fubuki said, giving him a smile.

"Donnie." Lilly said.

"Yes Lilly?" Daimlon responded, looking at Lilly.

"When are we going on the mission I keep hearing about?" She asked. Daimlon could already tell she wasn't exactly looking forward to it.

"Soon." Daimlon said.

Lilly just looked down at the table, away from Daimlon. "I don't want to go." She said in a pout.

Daimlon crouched down to Lilly's level, and looked at her. "Trust me, nobody does, but I can promise you that these three right here will always keep you safe." Daimlon reassured.

Lilly didn't respond in any way, refusing to acknowledge what he said. Daimlon didn't want to send Lilly out into the field, but he didn't really have much of a choice. She was the only one capable of what she did.

Daimlon stood up again, and looked over to the other three. "Well, I'd stay around and eat breakfast with you, but, unfortunately, I'm rather busy at the moment. If anyone needs anything, feel free to stop by my office." Daimlon stated. Daimlon felt bad that he was always so distant from everyone else, and he hated always giving the bland excuse of 'being busy', but it was the truth. If anything, he just wanted to get to know the girls under him better just so he could build trust between them.

"Don't worry, we know the drill." Maikaze said, looking up at him.

"Good to know. See you guys later." Daimlon said, and he turned toward the serving station to get his food.

Everyone except Lilly issued him a farewell, and silently waited for him to grab his tray and leave the building. It was the most awkward silence anyone had experienced up to that point. Daimlon finally filled his tray, and made his way outside to continue his work in his office.

"What was that for?" Furutaka asked, somewhat demandingly.

"Furutaka, are you serious? He's an American." Maikaze explained hastily.

Furutaka just looked at her for a few seconds. "Noooo, you're pulling my leg." She said, her tone full of disbelief.

"No, I'm serious. Jintsuu told me she heard it from the Grand Admiral while she was being assigned to him." Maikaze stated.

"He even looks like he is." Fubuki said.

Maikaze immediately pointed to Fubuki in agreement. "Mhm, she knows."

Furutaka instantly knew that they were right. "I see." She said in a dull tone as she just looked down at the table in front of her.

"Just be a little more mindful about it now that you know." Fubuki said.

"I will." Furutaka said, taking a bite of her food after a brief pause. "It's just a little unexpected. That's all."

There was a rather extended period of silence.

"So, Furutaka. Do you like dancing?" Maikaze asked, a slight smile forming on her face.

The girls continued to talk until everyone had finished eating, and showed Furutaka around the base when they were done.

* * *

If there was one thing about exhaustion during recovery that Asashio had to be thankful for, it was definitely the fact that it made sleeping much easier. Despite her operation the night before, she had fallen asleep rather quickly. Even though she just woke up, she still felt exhausted, but most of her discomfort had subsided. She thought back to last night, having to be held down to keep her from moving as she screamed and cried in pain. The operation was short, but Asashio had never felt a pain that pierced her entire body like that before, it made her squirm just thinking about it.

She rubbed her jaw lightly. The swelling had reduced greatly overnight, and was sure she would at least be able to speak properly.

"Mornin'." A voice said to Asashio's right. It instantly clicked as to who it was. It was Sendai. She sat there, propped against the wall as she sat at the table, waiting for Asashio to wake up.

Asashio was afraid that Sendai was here to make her ordeal worse. She was almost too afraid to say anything. "What do you want?" Asashio asked her in a flat tone as she gave her a cold look. She hoped her mildly aggressive front would keep Sendai from doing anything more.

Sendai looked at her feet, and scratched the back of her head as she readied herself. She put on a smirk as she looked back at Asashio. "To help." She said.

It was then that Asashio noticed Sendai was keeping her voice down. She looked further up to the right where Shigure sat the night before to see her still there, slumped over as she slept on the table - A small blanket thrown over her.

Asashio was shocked, and had to gather herself again after hearing that. "Help how?" She asked, keeping her voice low as well. Though she could speak well enough, it was still impeded slightly by her swelling.

"I'm here to help take care of you." Sendai responded, putting on the best smile she could.

Asashio had her doubts, but was willing to play along. "I see... What time is it?" Asashio asked.

"It is 0713. I've been here for about an hour now." Sendai said. "Hungry?"

Now that Sendai mentioned it, Asashio was starving. She just gave Sendai a nod.

Sendai sat up, and reached for a small bowl in the middle of the table. "Don't ask me what this stuff is, but Nonna told me to give it to you." She said as she stood up. Unfortunately, Asashio had to be put on a liquid diet for a bit. Sendai knelt down next to her, bowl in hand. It looked like a heavily thinned down soup to Asashio, and didn't look appealing at all. "Can you sit up to eat?" Sendai asked.

Asashio struggled to get herself upright, pushing herself up with her shoulder as she picked the other up. That was as far as she got, however, and collapsed shortly after. "Here." Sendai said. She placed the bowl down and wrapped her arm around Asashio's shoulders, pulling her up all the way. With Asashio upright, it took her no effort to keep herself there, so Sendai let go.

"Thanks." Asashio said, grabbing the bowl. Her hand trembled as she brought the bowl closer, putting her other hand on it to keep it steady. She brought it up to her lips, and took a sip. It didn't taste bad, but it sure didn't taste good either.

With some guilt clinging to her, Sendai watched the pathetically weak Asashio strain just to feed herself. Sendai stood up and grabbed a cup on her way to the bathroom, filling it with warm water when she got there. She sprinkled some salt into it, and mixed it in to dissolve it. When she returned, she found Asashio finishing the last of her soup.

Sendai knelt down next to her again, and took the bowl from her, putting it down on the floor next to her. "Here, rinse with this. Don't swish it around, though." Sendai said, offering the cup to Asashio.

Asashio just looked across the room, seemingly lost in thought. "Why are you doing this?" She asked, turning to face Sendai only after she was finished speaking.

Sendai hesitated a few moments. She was looking for the right words to say. "Because.. I.." Sendai started to say, looking around the room awkwardly. "I don't want us to be on bad terms." She said, wishing she could have worded it better.

Asashio took the cup from Sendai. She honestly didn't know what to say to her, she could hardly believe what she was hearing. She sipped the salt water and gently rinsed her mouth out, allowing herself time to think about what to say.

After a brief pause, Sendai continued. "I guess.." Sendai continued, trying to tackle the obstacle before her. "What I'm trying to say is..." She scratched the back of her head as she looked around, clearly uncomfortable. She was trying to force the words to come, but she couldn't quite speak them. "Well.." She finally just took a moment to take a deep breath and shoved her pride off the table. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, and I was hoping that you would forgive me." She said, getting it off her chest.

Yet again, Asashio couldn't even believe what she said. Asashio set the cup of used salt water off to the side, and let herself fall back onto her futon. "What are you talking about? There's nothing to forgive." She said in a simple tone.

Sendai was speechless.

"I hurt someone close to you, it's expected that you'd be angry or upset." Asashio said as she just stared at the ceiling. After a brief pause of silence, Asashio looked at Sendai. "I can't say I would do the same thing, but if someone did that to my sister, I'd make sure they didn't do it again. So don't be sorry."

Sendai couldn't help but smile. She never expected a response like that from Asashio, and any lingering anger toward her vanished. "And here I was worrying that you'd hate me." Sendai said with a chuckle.

"No, I don't blame you. I deserved it." Asashio said, digging her way deeper into her futon.

"Well shit, I'm not disagreeing with you, but I got a little carried away." Sendai said.

Despite just waking up, Asashio was ready to go back to sleep already. "It's no big deal, don't worry about it. Just worry about finding better ways to resolve issues." Asashio said with a half smile.

Sendai just smiled widely at her. "Got it." Sendai found it really weird. Just ten minutes ago she really disliked this person, only to find herself almost admiring her now. She never thought she'd see the day where she would punch someone and have that person say that they deserved it. "Say, I wanna ask you. Why did you do it anyway? To Jintsuu I mean." Sendai asked.

Asashio just looked up at the ceiling for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. She had no intention of telling her that Daimlon put her up to it. "I guess I just want to see her get stronger... I'm hoping this gives her a wake up call to really push herself. It was nothing personal against her, but I see a lot of potential in her, and so does Daimlon. If she can ever get out of this rut she could easily be one of our strongest ships. I want to see her be the best she can be." She said, her voice trailing off in the end.

Now Sendai really felt bad about punching her. "You just keep making me feel worse." Sendai said with a half-hearted laugh.

"You're the one who asked." Asashio said.

"I know, but when you did that to her, I really felt like I was the only one who was trying to help her. You seemed so much like the stuck up elitist type, I couldn't have imagined that you did it for any other reason than to make yourself look good. I wanted to make sure you were knocked down a peg. I misjudged you." Sendai said.

"And I assumed that you would never apologize to me like this. I think it's safe to say we both misjudged each other." Asashio admitted.

Sendai looked at Asashio with a somewhat serious face. "No hard feelings?" She asked.

Asashio just laughed a little. "I already told you, I don't hold it against you. As long as you're willing to cover my back out there, we're fine. That's all that really matters after all." She said.

Sendai just smiled. "Yeah. Is there anything you need? Anything I can help with?" Sendai asked.

"Not at the moment, no. I am pretty tired, though." Asashio said, indicating she wanted to go back to sleep.

"Alright, I'll let you get your rest, then. I'll stop by again in like an hour to check on you." Sendai said, a smile on her face.

"Mhm." Asashio groaned as she gave Sendai a nod, closing her eyes.

"Do you think I should wake Shigure up?" Sendai asked, looking at Shigure.

"No, she was up late with Nonna and I. I'd let her sleep." Asashio said.

"Okay. Anyway, I'll be back." Sendai said as she stood up, immediately making her way to the door. "See ya." Sendai said as she headed out the door. Asashio decided not to say anything, and just closed her eyes again.

With that, both of them felt that things were going to be better than they were before the entire ordeal even started.

* * *

Daimlon sat at his desk, typing up a personnel profile in his computer. It was a profile on Furutaka that was to be kept on base for his own records, and sent to the Grand Admiral for an update on the global roster. Unfortunately, every time he constructed someone he had to make a profile for them from scratch. Only a picture and personal information, such as her height and weight, were filled in automatically from the construction. Fortunately, it didn't take long to create, as much of the page was reserved for future updates such as mission count, kill count, and a plethora of other statistics about her operational history to come.

Then came the knock on his door. "Come in." He said.

The door opened, and Yuu stepped in. "You called for me, Admiral?" She asked.

After minimizing Furutaka's profile, he spun himself to face Yuu in his chair. "Yes, I did. Come, have a seat." He said.

She calmly walked over to his desk, and had a seat in the chair. One thing never changed about her, her face was always so serious, never cracking a smile or batting an eyelash. However, this time Daimlon couldn't help but notice how tired she seemed when he looked at her eyes. "I just wanted to ask you a couple questions." Daimlon explained, placing his interwoven hands on his desk.

"Of course." Yuu said.

"It's to my understanding that you witnessed Sendai's... Assault, on Asashio?" He asked her.

"I did, sir." Yuu said professionally.

"Excellent. Can you tell me everything you saw?" He asked.

"Yes. I saw Sendai grab Asashio from behind, and throw her to the ground. After a brief pause, Sendai got on top of Asashio, and punched her in the face five times. After that she stood up and walked away. I'm afraid that is all I can tell you." Yuu explained.

Daimlon was hoping for more than that, he already knew everything she told him. "You can't tell me anymore than that?" He continued to question.

"No, sir." She said.

There was a period of silence as they both just looked at each other. "I see. Very well then, I suppose it can't be helped." Daimlon said, leaning back in his chair. "I understand it may be difficult for you to transition from German to Japanese command. How are you doing? Maybe a little culture shocked?" He asked, curious to know how the foreigner is adapting.

Her normally stagnant arms moved a little, and briefly touched each other. "I'm doing fine, sir. Thanks for asking." She said, breaking eye contact for the briefest moment. There was no doubt about it to Daimlon, it was the self touch gesture - an easy to spot indicator of deception. It could've been just an itch, but with how little she normally moved when she talked, especially to Daimlon, he had his doubts about that.

He decided to run a little test to confirm whether or not she was lying. "Are you lying to me?" Daimlon asked her, staring right at her.

It was the stare that made her slip. "N-No, sir." She said in a low tone, looking down to the ground for a moment.

"Spill it, Yuu. I know you're lying to me." Daimlon demanded.

There was a period of awkward silence as Yuu's eyes darted around the room, clearly unsure of what to say. "I. Uh-" She said, giving a false start before firmly planting her feet in the ground again. She regained her lost composure and looked Daimlon straight on. "Forgive me, sir. I did not mean any disrespect, but my issues are not serious enough to warrant your personal attention. I can manage, sir." Yuu said.

Daimlon just leaned back in his chair a little as he looked at her. "I never doubted your ability to cope, but keeping me informed with how you're feeling is important. Now what seems to be troubling you?" Daimlon asked her.

Yuu just took a moment to collect her thoughts. "I miss my friends back in Germany, and I can't say anyone has become a friend. However, I'm sure that will resolve itself in time. In Germany we were based on the mainland, and we could go wherever we wanted outside of the base within a certain distance. Here we are confined to a small island, only a slight issue that can't be helped. And I have not slept much since arriving here, but I just need some time to adapt. Overall, it's nothing that cannot be fixed with time and effort on my part, sir." Yuu said, being as open as possible. No signs of deception this time, she was as stagnant as usual, moving hardly a muscle.

He could understand why she would have a difficult time moving to an island location without any friends. It wasn't anything he could help with, but he was glad that she was willing to tell him. "Why aren't you sleeping?" He asked.

"I find futons uncomfortable, sir, but I will get used to it." Yuu said professionally.

That one, Daimlon could understand on a personal level. He always hated futons, and always reverted to a mattress when he could. He reached for his tablet, laying off to the side on his desk. "Well, Yuu." He began as he flickered the display on, poking his way into the construction tab. "Taking your contributions at the Supply Depot into consideration..." He said.

Nonna appeared in the room in her puff of smoke. "What's up, Daimlon?" Nonna said, asking why she had been paged.

"I see no reason why you do not deserve some sort of reward. So how about a mattress instead of a futon? Can you do that, Nonna?" Daimlon asked, smiling as he did.

Nonna brought her clipboard up to her face. "Of course I can, what size?" She asked.

Yuu just sat there, her face growing ever so slightly red as she finally broke from the stone cold mask she constantly wore. "I- uh. Sir-" Yuu said, tripping over herself a little before being cut off.

"I don't know, what do you think?" Daimlon asked, completely ignoring Yuu's attempts to interrupt.

"I think a Queen would do just fine, and it would fit the room perfectly." Nonna said, a slight smile on her face.

"Queen it is, then." Daimlon stated, sitting up in his chair excitedly.

Nonna scribbled on the clipboard a little. "Soft or firm?" She asked.

Daimlon turned his attention to Yuu. "Soft or firm?" He asked her.

Yuu just faced him, mouth slightly agape as she was in a state of mild disbelief. "No, no, no. You don't have to give me anything! I can cope with a futon, I didn't do anything-" Yuu said frantically, her face turning a light red. Daimlon tried to talk over her, but she kept talking.

"Soft or firm?" Daimlon asked, trying to interject her.

"- special, I was only doing what you told me. I mean it, you don't need to give me any kind of reward!" Yuu said, incredibly insistent she not receive anything. "It's really not -" She was finally cut off.

"Yuu!" Daimlon said in a raised voice, stopping her in her tracks. "Soft. Or firm?" Daimlon asked once more.

Yuu just paused a few moments, she was going to say something more, but she decided not to. Daimlon was insistent she take it, and a small part of her wanted it anyway. She hung her head low, defeated. "Soft." She said calmly. She picked up her head a little bit to say more. "A silky smooth touch to the skin, so soft that your skin grows to crave it's gentleness each night. A consistency that embraces you, enveloping you like a loving mothers' arms, refusing to let go. And able to breathe so well that every twitch of the arm or leg offers a cool sensation under the heat of the blankets." Yuu said in a low tone, as if she had just described her deepest guilty pleasure. She was absolutely humiliated that she was so descriptive about it, sure that both Daimlon and Nonna would burst into laughter.

Which they did. Yuu tried to keep her cool the best she could. After a short period, Nonna recollected herself. "I think I can make that work for you. That's everything, right?" She asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Yuu could only nod, still refusing to look up at them.

Daimlon could hardly believe she was the same person, absolutely tickled that she had gotten so worked up so quick. He gave a short laugh again. "If you wanted one this bad, you should have asked sooner." He teased.

Yuu didn't say a thing, choosing to take a deep breath instead. She calmed herself once more, and picked herself up in her seat, looking Daimlon in the eye again. She was still lightly pink, but had reassumed her serious face and posture.

"Alright, Don, enough teasing her. Is there anything else you need?" Nonna asked, holding her clipboard against her chest.

"I never told you that you can call me Don." Daimlon said teasingly, smiling at her. "Open a ship construction panel for me, please." He said in a more serious tone.

"Sure thing, _Don._" Nonna said, making sure to emphasize his name.

Yuu was sitting there, absolutely confused as to what was going on. No individual would dare speak to her old officer that way, especially in such a disrespectful manner.

Daimlon received a timer from his input, seven hours. Given that it was 0900 on his clock, he was happy to see it would finish before dark this time around.

He knew he would be getting another small ship, but he couldn't really complain after getting a Heavy Cruiser just last night. "Now that'll be all. Thank you, Nonna." He said looking up to her.

"Sounds good to me, _Don_." She said, teasingly emphasizing his name again with a smile. "Yuu, if you find anything about the bed to your disliking, let me know and I'll change it up for you. It should be in your room shortly after dinner time, okay?" Nonna said.

Yuu just looked up at her. "Y-Yes, ma'am." She said.

Nonna gave Yuu a quick smile, and then dissipated in her white smoke cloud.

Daimlon then turned his attention to Yuu. "Alright, do you have anything else you'd like to discuss with me while you're here?" He asked her.

"No, sir." She responded back professionally.

"You know, Yuu, you don't have to always be so formal. You can drop the 'sir's and the 'ma'am's, you should loosen up a bit." Daimlon said, finally getting it off his chest.

Yuu couldn't understand it. They were in a military environment running military operations, subordinates should be nothing but respectful to those above them. Her old Admiral understood this perfectly well, and made sure everyone respected him properly, she couldn't understand why Daimlon was insistent on quite the opposite. She just brushed it aside for the moment. "I'll try, sir." She said.

There was a drawn out silence between them. "You didn't seem to try very hard." Daimlon said, almost teasing her.

"I'll try. Sorry, sir." Yuu said professionally, sitting up straight in her seat.

Obviously they weren't making any ground today. "If you insist on formalities, I suppose it isn't an issue. Will that be all?" He said, giving up.

"Yes sir." She said calmly.

"Alright, tell me how you like your reward tomorrow, okay?" Daimlon said with a smile.

"Understood." Yuu said.

With that, Daimlon considered the conversation to be over, and pulled up Furutaka's profile once more to continue work on it. However, one thing was nagging him as he started. Yuu wasn't moving a muscle, just sitting there staring at him. '_Don't tell me I actually need to dismiss her.' _Daimlon thought to himself, but he knew that was what she was waiting for.

"Yuu, you're dismissed." Daimlon stated. Sure enough, without a word, Yuu stood from her seat and exited the room. _'I guess they run a much tighter ship in Germany.' _Daimlon thought to himself. He promptly returned his attention back to his computer, and continued to peck away at his keyboard, constructing Furutaka's profile alone in his office.

* * *

Several hours later, there was an unexpected knock on the door. Daimlon leaned back from his stack of paperwork and looked up to the door. "Come in." He said in a raised voice. He was eagerly awaiting Jintsuu to stop by to apologize in person, and expected to see her walk through the door.

Sure enough, Jintsuu stepped through hesitantly. It was immediately clear to Daimlon that she had absolutely no desire to be in that room. Without a word, and refusing to look at him, she quietly made her way over to the chair, and had a seat.

Daimlon continued to look at her as the long silence carried on. She was still looking at the floor, her head hung low. "Can I help you, Jintsuu?" He asked her.

She immediately put her palms together, bowed her head, and held her hands above her head. "I'm terribly sorry, Daimlon." She said, finally getting it off her chest. "I didn't mean a thing I said, and I whole heartedly regret it." Daimlon wasn't expecting such an intense apology.

As much as Daimlon wanted to make nice with her, he still had to pretend he was somewhat upset by her actions. "Why?" He asked simply. "And look me in the eye like you mean it." He said, following up quickly.

Jintsuu put her arms down, and raised her head. She reluctantly looked up at him after a short delay, and looked him in the eye. He could see she meant it, her face was rather serious, accompanied with a frown and wide eyes. "I'm so sorry." She said as seriously as she could. "I know I said things that..." She looked away for a brief moment. "That... were uncalled for, and rude, but I apologize for it all." She finished.

Daimlon was honestly rather uncomfortable. "Why?" He repeated. "Why did you say them?" He kept his face stone cold to the best of his abilities.

Jintsuu looked away again, her discomfort bled through her body language like an open wound. "I.. I don't know. I was just... so upset. That I just threw my hands up." She said, her voice trailing off as she finished.

"There seemed to be a degree of truth to what you said, however. Would that be an accurate statement?" Daimlon asked, referring specifically to her finally outburst. This was it, Daimlon's best chance to squeeze the truth out of Jintsuu. He would be willing to cradle her in his arms if it meant getting the truth out of her, it was all he needed to set a plan in motion to help her, rather than continue to wring it out forcefully.

"W-What do you mean?" She asked, looking at him again.

"I am referring to your statement about no one caring. It came off to me as a rather serious remark." Daimlon said in a heavy tone. His heart was starting to beat slightly heavier in anticipation.

She just looked away again. "..It's true." She said, almost in a murmur.

"And why is that Jintsuu? What causes you to feel that way?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.

Jintsuu refused to look at him again. "..I.. I don't know." She said meekly.

"If you believe it to be true, you should hold some feelings as to why. _Something_ is telling you that it is the truth, what is that something?" He continued pressing for the favorable response he was looking for. He was determined to pry it out of her, no matter how badly she didn't want to tell him.

Jintsuu didn't even move, let alone respond.

"Do you feel that your old Admirals never cared? Based on that assumption, did you take it a step further and say I don't either? Spill it, Jintsuu." Daimlon said, his voice growing in intensity.

"...Yes." She said in a murmur. Daimlon's heart skipped a beat. Finally, some progress of some sort. Even if it was a reluctant 'Yes', Daimlon had broken through the first of many walls she erected around herself.

"Jintsuu. I want to make one thing perfectly clear to you. Look at me." Daimlon said demandingly. Jintsuu reluctantly looked at him, it was apparent she really didn't want to. "I am unlike any Admiral you've met until now. I've not met any of them, but I can assure you that I am not like any of them." Daimlon said heavily, sitting forward in his seat to strengthen his words. "You are my starter, Jintsuu. I am _not_ going to give up on you, and I will _never_ scrap you." Daimlon watched as Jintsuu just continued looking at him, her eyes widening as he spoke. Even if it was only slightly, he could see Jintsuu was uplifted by his words. "However, if you are unwilling to work with me, I might be forced to make a decision I don't want to. Don't make this harder than it has to be." Daimlon finished, hopeful that she would finally gut herself like a fish.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be quite that easy. He could see Jintsuu's eyes well up with tears. "I.. Every Admiral has told me the same exact thing. You _are_ just like them." She said, her voice was rough and hoarse. Tears began to roll down her red cheeks. "You're every bit like them, you're all the same." She said, her voice trailing off near the end, burying her face in her hands.

Daimlon could feel his heart dropping as she spoke, helplessly watching as she began to cry. "Jintsuu, I don't understand why you're so opposed to telling me why you're constantly dismissed. I'm trying to help you." Daimlon said, raising his voice slightly.

Jintsuu seemed to try and gather herself once more. "It.. It's never helped before. It's.. not even relevant." Jintsuu said, her face dry but her voice still rough.

"So you'll never tell me why?" Daimlon asked.

Jintsuu didn't respond to him.

So that's how it was. No matter what, Jintsuu would never tell him what happened beforehand. Daimlon just took a deep breath, quite irritated with Jintsuu. "Very well, then. I won't push you to share anymore." Daimlon said. Daimlon's determination crushed, he decided to revert to one last question before deciding how he handled the rest of Jintsuu's situation.

"I'm sorry." Jintsuu said meekly.

"I only have one question for you." Daimlon said with renewed vigor. Jintsuu just looked at him, giving him her attention. "Are you going to continue with your tests? You told me you were giving up." He asked.

"...I'm not giving up. Along with apologizing, I wanted to reassure you that I'm not giving up." Jintsuu said somewhat confidently behind her flustered face and recovering voice.

That was all he needed. Whether it was because he was irritated with her, or because he legitimately thought it for the best he couldn't tell, but he had finally made a decision. "Good. You'll continue with your next test tomorrow... Just know that I won't make it easy on you." Daimlon said.

Jintsuu just looked down a little. "You never did." She murmured.

"...Is that everything you had to say?" He asked her, stone faced.

She just nodded.

"You're free to go." He said simply, immediately turning his attention back to his paperwork as if Jintsuu wasn't even there.

Jintsuu hesitated leaving for a moment, watching Daimlon get back to work without missing a beat. She felt as though she should say something more, but nothing came to mind. She awkwardly stood from her seat, and slowly shuffled her way out the door.

The moment the door closed, Daimlon broke from his paperwork and leaned back in his chair. He was already busy thinking of how to force Jintsuu to improve, whether she liked it or not. He wasn't looking forward to it, but she left him no choice but to stick her in the frying pan.

* * *

It was roughly 1545, and Asashio was starting to feel a little better. She was no longer totally exhausted all the time, and could even sit up on her own now. Her stomach growled as she faced the ceiling, the liquid diet she was on did nothing to fill her stomach. She looked over to the table where Shigure and Sendai once sat, both areas now vacant as she was alone for the time being. If there was one thing she hated, it was definitely how boring it could be to just lie around all day.

Suddenly, there was knock on her door. "Come in." Asashio said as loudly as she could. It was probably Sendai showing up to check on her as she usually did every other hour or so.

Daimlon stepped through the door, closing the door behind him. She immediately perked up, but pulled the covers further up. "Hey." Daimlon said, standing there as he looked at Asashio bundled up in her futon.

"..Hi." Asashio said, laying her head back down against her pillow.

Daimlon took a few steps toward her, standing at her side. "How are you feeling?" He asked.

Truth be told, as much as her condition improved, she still felt pretty bad. "I've felt better." Asashio said, looking up at Daimlon.

"As long as you've felt worse." Daimlon said, a small smile forming on his lips.

Asashio couldn't help but give a slight smile back. "I've definitely felt worse." She said, almost in a murmur.

"Can you stand yet?" He asked.

Asashio hesitated for a moment. Without a word, she threw the covers off herself. Despite being self conscious about how she looked, especially since she didn't have the opportunity to shower today, she was determined to stand up on her own. She rolled over on her stomach, and managed to get herself on her hands and knees.

Daimlon watched, fighting the urge to help her as she struggled to bring her right knee up. It took almost all of her effort, but she managed to get herself onto one knee.

Calling on all her strength, she pushed down with both hands on her knee, helping to straighten it as she brought her other foot up to stand on. It was too much for her. Her right leg muscles gave out, still too weak to do it, and she was forced back into the kneeling position. She brought her knee back down, and let herself fall onto her futon.

"It's okay if you can't stand yet, don't push yourself too hard." Daimlon said as Asashio rolled onto her back again, pulling the covers over herself to hide her shame.

His words didn't do much to comfort Asashio, she was still disappointed that she wasn't strong enough to do something so simple. She continued to silently curse herself for failing like that in front of Daimlon.

Daimlon could tell that Asashio was disappointed with herself. "Hey, Asashio." He said, grabbing her attention.

She shifted her gaze to look at him as he stood over her.

He knelt down to get closer to her. "Relax, you'll be standing by tomorrow morning. Just take it easy, and focus on getting better. I still need help developing those tests, after all." Daimlon said, offering her a slight smile.

Asashio couldn't hide the smile that crept across her face. "Of course. But at this rate you'll always need my help." Asashio said teasingly.

Daimlon stood once again. "And would you consider that a problem?" Daimlon asked, knowing the answer.

Asashio just gave a small laugh. "No. I wouldn't." She said.

"Good." He replied. Several seconds of silence fell between them. "Anyway, I need to leave. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were holding up. Do you need anything? Cup of water? Something to read? Anything?" Daimlon asked, making sure she was okay.

Asashio just shook her head. "No thanks, I should be fine. Hopefully Nonna delivers my food soon." Asashio said.

"Alright then, I'll let you rest." Daimlon said as he walked back toward the door.

"Thanks for checking up on me." Asashio said, staring at the ceiling.

"Anytime. Take care." Daimlon said, opening the door.

"You too." She replied. With that, the sound of the door closing filled the air. Asashio just lie motionless, staring at the ceiling. She felt much better as a result of Daimlon's visit, eager to hurry up and get better. If only there were a shortcut to the healing process. Unfortunately for Asashio, there was no such thing as a shortcut to recovery.

* * *

Daimlon brushed past the curtains prefacing the open Construction Yard building, stepping into the dark room. The lights flickered on, and a small girl on par with Maikaze was standing in the center of the room.

Her hair was almost a dull purple, a shade reflected in her bright eyes. She had her hair in a long ponytail that stretched off to her right side down to the hip, tied up by a pink flower with a clip on the back, a brass bell attached to it. She wore a white uniform top with a blue collar and sleeve ends, along with a solid blue skirt.

"Hello, Admiral." The girl said. Unlike most of those before her, there was no smile on her lips as she spoke for the first time.

Daimlon took a few steps forward, unsure of the personality of this new girl. "Greetings. I am Admiral Daimlon, you can call me Don if you wish. What is your name?" He said, making sure to keep it somewhat formal.

"...You look a little young to be an Admiral." She said, making note of his age.

Daimlon decided to put on a smile for her. "I can assure you that I am of an appropriate age." He said, hoping she would finally tell him who she was.

"Mmmm, you look American. Are you?" The girl asked.

For the first time he was asked directly if he was American, quite the surprise from a fresh construction. "...I am." He said.

"How long have you been an Admiral?" She asked, her facial expression hadn't shifted from her standard gaze.

"I was officially promoted almost three months ago. I received my first assignment to this base just over a week ago." Daimlon answered. He was growing increasingly annoyed that she still hadn't fulfilled the common courtesy to give him her name.

"So you're an American that's fresh out of the Academy, A new Admiral that probably hasn't even seen combat yet, am I getting that right?" She asked in an increasingly exasperated tone.

"That is correct. You still haven't told me your name." Daimlon said.

The girl just paused a few moments and formed a tight scowl across her face. "Well this is great." She said in a sarcastic tone. "A shitty Admiral."


	11. A Rocky Start

_Two miles above the surface, a flight of four A-10's were cruising over the open waters. Teflon sat in the lead ship, maintaining his flight's course far above the ocean. _

_"Prepare adjust heading two-three-five." Teflon said over the radio. _

_"Copy." He heard Hash respond. Four seconds later each of the four aircraft banked to the left, and slowly shifted their heading to two-three-five. _

_Tensions were high and communication was minimal as everyone was keeping alert. It seemed like minutes before anything else was uttered over the radio waves._

_"How the hell is this supposed to work?" Pipper asked no one in particular. _

_Teflon looked to his right and below to see a horde of ships of all sizes below._

_"Whoever they hired for planning needs to be shot." Six said. _

_"Those... Things. Didn't exactly give us much time to plan." Hash remarked in defense._

_Teflon could see small dots moving across the armada beneath, aircraft of all kinds flying beneath them._

_"Yeah, but still. Look at this cluster fuck. Nobody knows what the hell they're supposed to be doing. We barely fucking know." Six said in an irritated tone as he maintained his place in formation. _

_"Cut the chatter. You all signed up to defend your country years ago. Just because the enemies change that doesn't relieve you of your duty." Teflon said, trying to keep them on task. _

_"Tef, if I was unwilling to die for my country I wouldn't be sitting in this seat." Six stated. _

_Teflon looked over as the sun hung low in the sky as darkness was about to fall. He wanted to say something, but nothing came to mind. Finally, his flight reached the small island in the middle of this massive ocean. They had arrived at their designated spot, and could already see tracers flying far below off in the distance accompanied by a few steel Destroyers sitting back. The ship girls were fighting around the clock with the support of every military asset that could be spared, including Teflon's flight. _

_Teflon adjusted his radio to the proper frequency to contact the Forward Air Controller. "FAC this is Teflon flight giving CAS check in." Teflon said, releasing his microphone button as he finished._

_Several seconds elapsed. Teflon saw a massive explosion off in the distance, obviously a result of a magazine detonation. "Send it." He heard in response_

_"Teflon three one, four A-10's, mission number three eight five one. Holding North approximately eight miles for one and a half hours flight time. Awaiting coordinates and target acquisition." He said as clearly and concisely as he could as he transmitted over the radio._

_"FAC copies all." FAC then listed off a seemingly endless stream of letters and numbers as he gave them exact coordinates. "Enemy resistance is strong, wave off before flyover. Priority target on enemy Battleship, over... You are cleared hot." His headset rang in ears. _

_"Copy." Teflon said, releasing the microphone button. "Line abreast, spacing three hundred feet. AGM on Battleship at one three three. Guns on Heavy Cruiser at one three five. Exit right at three to contact at two zero zero, three hundred knots." He stated to the rest of his flight. _

_"Teflon three two copies." Hash said._

_"Teflon three three copies." Six said._

_"Teflon three four copies." Pipper said._

_With every aircraft having copied, they began their slow descent as they formed into their line abreast formation. Six just had to chime in. _

_"Well, at least we get to go out in style." Six said._

_"We had a good run. If there is an afterlife, I'll be waiting for you all at the bar." Hash said, his voice tainted with a hint of sadness._

_Teflon being his call sign specifically because anything bad that ever happened never stuck to him, it seemed that name was reaching the end of its validity. He thought back to when he landed so hard he buckled the nose gear on his aircraft, but they filed it as a mechanical failure. Or the time he blew up a herd of cows with an AGM misfire, which ended up being a result of faulty wiring. He never got in trouble for anything, but this... This was different._

_"It's been an honor, gentlemen." He said as the fear of death subsided, finally coming to terms with how slim their chances of survival were._

_"It's been the ride of a lifetime. I'm glad I shared it with you all." Pipper stated half heartedly._

_Several seconds elapsed, and the flight was approaching their target. They could finally make out individual silhouettes of the ships fighting below. They locked their crosshairs onto the enemy battleship, and prepared to send off their AGMs._

_"All lock?" Teflon asked._

_"Two locked." "Three locked." "Four locked." Everyone replied back sequentially. _

_Teflon then began to count down. "Three. Two. One. Release." And with the press of a button four AGMs were released from their rails and began to scream down towards the firefight before them. _

* * *

_"Indy, Destroyer on your left side!" Lexington shouted. Though she sat at the far back of the formation, she could still see clearly thanks to the aircraft she had hovering above the battlefield. _

_"Indy, ignore the Destroyer, stay focused on keeping that Heavy Cruiser off North Carolina!" The admiral commanded._

_"Understood." Indianapolis replied, maintaining fire on the Heavy Cruiser in front of her. _

_The battlefield was absolute chaos. Tracers were flying everywhere and the enemy was starting to become overwhelming in strength. After a short delay, a particularly large tracer shot from behind them struck the Destroyer that Lexington had just mentioned. The steel Destroyers were sitting out of Abyssal range, but within their own firing range and provided constant long range fire support. The abyssal Destroyer shrugged it off, and kept going. Several more large tracers impacted in quick succession. The smoke cleared revealing a burning abyssal Destroyer. With concentrated firepower, even conventional weapons could hurt Abyssal ships. With five steel Destroyers sitting behind their lines, they were a crucial part of the ongoing fight._

_"Enemy Destroyer is sinking, tell them to switch focus." Indianapolis advised her Admiral. _

_"Everyone move forward toward the center of their fleet. Form up on North Carolina." He commanded._

_"North Carolina, moving forward." The dark-haired woman said powerfully as she started advancing on the Abyssals, a firm scowl across her face. She turned to her right and made a few hand signals toward the accompanying Russian escorts, telling them they were advancing. They nodded at her, and North Carolina returned her focus forward. Her secondaries were going off in a non stop barrage of sporadic fire at nearby enemies as incoming shells merely bounced off her thick skin. _

_Though she knew the maneuver was risky, she trusted her admiral with more than her life. She trained her main guns on a Light Cruiser that was obviously lining up for a torpedo run. After a short delay, she felt the staggering concussion from her main guns as her ears rang loudly from the volume. She watched unflinchingly, however, as the enemy Light Cruiser exploded, a direct hit to the magazine. A thick column of smoke began pouring out of what remained._

_"Destroyers, spread out a little." North Carolina stated. The handful of friendly destroyers screening her front loosened their formation as they continued to engage anything in their range, keeping an eye out for any incoming threats._

_Everyone continued fighting the best they could as they made their way toward the enemy fleet, drawing more and more fire as they pushed on. The Light Cruiser Brooklyn, skirting the left of North Carolina, took a shell hit to the left bicep. It exploded and her arm was sent flying off behind her. She screamed out in agony as she clenched what was left of her arm as it continued to decorate her uniform with blood. "Brooklyn, return to base immediately. Porter, escort her." North Carolina commanded._

_"Right." Porter replied. __The Destroyer William Porter peeled off from her spot and helped Brooklyn get out of harm's way._

_North Carolina then saw it off in the distance, the ship that had nearly destroyed Brooklyn in one shot. An enemy Battleship. "Admiral. Enemy Battleship sighted." North Carolina said, advising her Admiral. _

_"Ignore it for now. Focus on the smaller ships. Shift heading and speed and head straight for it." He commanded._

_North Carolina's faith in her Admiral faltered, if even for a moment. "Understood, engaging enemy escort ships." North Carolina said as she started training her guns on another nearby Light Cruiser._

_"We're taking too much fire. We won't last much longer." Indianapolis cried as she took a hit to the thigh. Her confidence was waning quickly as the hailstorm of enemy fire grew thicker and thicker. She wondered how the Destroyers were able to survive a meat grinder like this with such relative ease. She took a look around her, and she saw at least three Abyssals for every one of them. She couldn't help but question how they were supposed to win._

_Just then, four burning streaks screamed overhead at stunning speed. She tracked them all the way to their destination - the enemy battleship. They connected simultaneously, forming a massive explosion. After several seconds, the sound wave hit her, startling her as the shock wave rattled every piece of her. She looked up further, and saw four aircraft barreling in from overhead. In unison, they emitted a stream of tracers that focused fire on a single enemy Heavy Cruiser. After a solid two second burst from each, the Heavy Cruiser exploded, sending pieces flying everywhere. They peeled off about three hundred feet before they crossed overhead, and turned sharply to the right._

_By this point, the sky was filled with enemy flak fire, but the damage was already dealt. In the blink of an eye, two ships were eviscerated. A fire broke out on the number two aircraft, and the pilot promptly ejected from his aircraft. After the rest of his flight was out of range, the Abyssal flak riddled him and his parachute with holes. Her heart sank as she watched the lifeless body float down, but quickly returned her attention back to the enemy. The demonstration of why she was fighting refreshed her spirit, and she starting spitting out shells once more with increased vigor and determination. _

_The airstrike inspired everyone watching to fight harder, a few shouting a battle cry as they redoubled their efforts. "Everyone, press forward!" North Carolina shouted in a commanding voice as she increased speed. Air waves from Lexington and Essex flew overhead as friendly dive bombers and torpedo bombers began engaging the enemy. Their fighters were occupied peeling Abyssal fighters off the A-10's after they broke from their attack run._

_The group of eleven ship girls pressed forward into the horde of Abyssal ships, sinking them left and right. A sight that really drove home the dominance of ship girl quality over abyssal quantity. Another Abyssal Battleship was sighted not long after, and the remaining pair of A-10's came in for another gun run, escorted by a couple squads of friendly wildcats. They lined up their shot, and opened fire. The enemy Battleship saw it coming far in advance, however. The tall pale skinned woman just raised her hand toward the incoming stream of fire, raising a barrier. The tracers connected, kicking up smoke as the barrage continued._

_As the fire stopped, and the smoke cleared, it became evident that the cannon fire was just a waste of ammunition. She lowered her arm along with the barrier, an emotionless scowl across her face as her anti aircraft batteries came alive. The two remaining A-10's were shot down in seconds. One immediately ejected only to be executed in his parachute moments after. The other A-10, still maintaining some control over his aircraft, drove it into the water, impacting with a large splash behind the allied ship girls._

_The Abyssal Battleship smiled the faintest smile as she watched the burning wreckage splash into the water. Suddenly, she was struck. Several open wounds formed in her chest and head as she recoiled from the blast, immediately looking over at her assailant. North Carolina. Before the Abyssal Battleship could train her guns on the ship girl in retaliation, North Carolina fired another salvo. This time, the Abyssal Battleship didn't recover, and began sinking slowly. North Carolina diligently put another salvo into the already sinking Battleship to confirm the destruction. _

_"Abyssal forces are retreating!" Essex announced. Everyone looked around, and sure enough, saw the tail end of every Abyssal ship indicating they were leaving. They had won the battle without losing a single ship. Everyone cheered and celebrated as they let the Abyssals leave without pursuit. It would be until dawn before they would be back at the very least. Destroyer Sumner however, was not celebrating. She eagerly scoured the area of the crash site from the A-10 that crashed. Blood dripping off her face from a hit taken by another Destroyer, she scanned the surface for a life raft. The area was littered with debris from the crash._

_Her efforts proved fruitful as she saw a man lying in a small raft, clearly exhausted from the crash. She trawled up to the pilot slowly. "Are.. You okay?" She asked, concerned for the pilot's well being._

_The man just looked up at her and stared for several seconds. "..What are you doing here?.. You look the same age as my daughter." He said in a low ragged voice. _

_The girl wasn't sure how to respond. "I.. I'm here to help. I hope that's okay... My name is Sumner." She said, extending her hand to help him._

_The man removed his helmet and chucked it before grabbing on to her hand. He was weakened from the crash, but still able to move._ _What hurt more than anything though, was his heart.__ "Sumner... I'm sorry." He said._

_The girl gave him a questioning look. "..Why are you sorry?" She asked as she started to trawl the raft toward the harbor by clutching his hand as she moved._

_"You're.. Too young.. To be seeing stuff like this." He said, his voice breaking as he choked back tears. He wasn't able to keep them contained, and tears soon dripped down his face. He couldn't imagine what he'd do if his daughter was forced to fight like this._

_Sumner just smiled the best she could. "It's okay. Thanks to you we're all safe. Tell me your name." She said cheerfully._

_The aviator couldn't help but admire how strong she was despite her age. He took a moment to clear his voice and wipe his face. "My... My name is Teflon." He said in an exhausted tone. He knew he was the only one from his flight to survive. "...Thank you." He said._

_"Teflon, huh? Would you mind telling me how you got that name?" Sumner asked. Ultimately she just wanted to make conversation to distract him from thinking about what just happened. It killed her on the inside to hear and see a grown man cry, and didn't wish to see it again._

_The young man faintly smiled, perfectly aware of what she was doing. "...It goes all the way back to my first days of flight training..." Teflon stated. The two continued to converse back and forth all the way back to base. He sort of wished it would have lasted forever. As far as he was concerned, it was the first time he had the chance to talk to an angel._

* * *

Daimlon stared at his computer screen at the profile of the girl who had given him an ear full the previous day. He never thought he'd meet a girl so aggressive and hateful. She insulted and berated him for being a 'shitty admiral' for least three full minutes before storming out. He was so stunned he didn't even say anything back to her. He didn't see her for the rest of that day, simply allowing her to leave and calm down instead. He intended to talk to her again to see what the issue was, but he couldn't stop thinking about it throughout the night.

Apparently, her name was Akebono, an Ayanami class Destroyer. Other than her bizarre eye and hair color, nothing seemed out of the ordinary on the profile he made. Daimlon brought his cup of morning tea to his lips to take a sip. The day had only just begun, but for some reason Daimlon was already tired. Frustrated with his inability to let it go, he decided to go get his breakfast before starting the day.

Stepping out into the cool air, he made his way over to the Mess Hall amidst the dimly lit base, the faint smudges of orange on the horizon indicating sunrise within the hour. He got to the serving line where he was presented with his first choice of the day. A relatively easy one as far as he was concerned. He grabbed the tray containing steak and eggs with toast and hashed potatoes on it. He never thought he'd see something like that on his base, a pleasant surprise.

With his tray containing all his food and utensils in hand, he started heading over to the door to return to his office. As he was about halfway to the door, to his surprise it opened. He saw a bed headed Yuu in pajamas step through. It wasn't the first time he'd seen Yuu in the predawn hours, but she was usually in full uniform with perfect hair by then.

"Good morning Yuu. How you doin'?" Daimlon asked her.

Though she did perk up a little as he spoke to her, Yuu didn't respond to him, instead shuffling closer to him instead. Yuu just crashed right into Daimlon, throwing her arms around him as she dug her face into him. She hit him so hard, he stumbled backward, nearly dropping his tray. "Yuu, what-" He said before being interrupted.

She spoke softly into his white overcoat. "I.. Have never. Slept like that before." Yuu said, her voice was quiet but rough. Almost as if she were crying. She looked up at him her eyes brimming with sincerity. "Thank you so much." She said before burying her face into him again.

Daimlon was taken aback by this Yuu that showed so much emotion. However, he couldn't help but smile from ear to ear, wrapping his free arm around her. "It was nothing. I'm glad I was able to help." Daimlon stated cheerfully.

The bed was beyond anything Yuu could've ever hoped for it to be. The moment she laid down on it, it relieved her of all bodily aches and mental worries.

After a few moments longer, Yuu awkwardly broke from the embrace, stepping back from Daimlon. Just like that she was back to her formal self. "I- I'm sorry." She said as her gaze dropped.

"Relax, there's nothing to be sorry about. It's okay to loosen up and be yourself." Daimlon reassured. He found her gesture rather sweet and endearing, it actually meant quite a bit to him.

She looked up at him with a serious face. "Understood.. Do you have any orders for me?" Yuu asked.

Daimlon just thought for a moment. He didn't really have anything for her, but he didn't want to send her off with nothing to do. "Ask Regina or Nonna for something to do, if they don't find something for you then I will." Daimlon said with a smile.

"Yes sir." Yuu responded. With that, she walked around Daimlon and headed toward the food line. The smile finally wearing off Daimlon's face, he turned to head out the door.

"Admiral." He heard Yuu call from behind him. He just turned around to see her looking back at him, her face ever so slightly red. "T-Thanks again... I.. I wish I could offer more than words." She said shyly. It was apparent that she was beyond grateful for his deed.

"..Don't worry, it was my pleasure. If you need anything else, just tell me." Daimlon said. Yuu gave him an ever so faint smile for the briefest moment, then turned back to head towards the food line. He gave a self satisfied grin before pushing the door open to return to his office.

* * *

Akebono's stomach growled ferociously as she fumed in her dark room, curtains closed to keep the broad daylight at bay. She had spent all morning as well as the rest of yesterday locked up in her own room. There was no way she was going to listen to a fake admiral such as him, he was bound to get everyone under him killed. Unfortunately, she didn't have much of a choice and she knew it. It was unbelievable that they would make someone so inexperienced and young an admiral so soon. A twenty something cannot be made responsible for the lives of dozens of people, they're simply not mature enough to handle it properly. It was shitty. _R__eally_ shitty.

Her stomach growled once more, and she buried her face into her arms further as she sat at the table, her arms folded on it. There was no way he was getting any respect from her, especially considering his lack of backlash from her verbal beat down the day before. What kind of respectable officer would tolerate that behavior from a subordinate? It didn't matter. As far as Akebono was concerned, there was only one way she could preserve not only her own life, but the lives of every other girl on the base as well. She would have to show him how to do it until he could manage on his own.

Though she had no desire to leave the safety of her room, she knew she would have to confront him once again sometime anyway. With the pain from her stomach growing too great to bear, she picked herself up and walked over to the door and left the room. She took a cautious glance in both directions to find the hallway empty. She wished it hadn't been, she had no idea where to go for food.

She exited the Crew Quarters and just looked around at the base before her that escaped her attention before. Without anyone or anything notable in sight, she slowly meandered her way to the building over. There were a couple buildings that looked like they could be a Mess Hall, so she decided to just work her way down until she found the right building. Approaching the door, she gently opened it and peered inside. Much to her delight, she found the Mess Hall on her first try. A slight smirk on her face, she walked right in and instantly saw someone eating by themselves.

It definitely wasn't the admiral, so she was all for conversing with the girl. Their eyes met and Akebono just worked up a soft smile as she neared the table.

"Hello." Akebono said.

"Oh, hello. You must be new, who are you? I'm Maikaze, Destroyer." Maikaze said, quick to return the smile.

"Yeah, I'm Akebono. Also a Destroyer. Nice to meet you." Akebono stated.

"Nice to meet you as well." Maikaze replied before taking another bite of food. "Care to join me for lunch?" She asked, her mouth still full of food.

"Sure." Akebono said cheerfully as she started heading over to the serving station. "So how do you like it here?" She asked as she created distance between them.

"Oh, it's not bad. It's pretty comfy here, but there's too little to do." Maikaze stated in a slightly raised voice.

Akebono began piling her tray with food, her stomach kicking and screaming to fill the void as she did. "Why's that?" She asked simply.

Maikaze just took a few moments to finish chewing her food before speaking up. "Probably because it's a small base and everyone's new." She said.

With a loud clatter, Akebono rest her tray on the table and took a seat across from Maikaze. "I see. How's the Admiral?" She asked, eager to hear her response.

Maikaze seemed just looked up and to the right, at nothing in particular. "I don't have anything against him. He's a good guy, and I can tell he cares a lot." She replied. Maikaze just raised an eyebrow at her. "Why?"

Akebono had to wait a few moments to get the food down her throat. "I'm not happy that he hasn't seen a single battle yet, and I feel he's too young for the job. I'm willing to help him though." She said before shoveling more food into her mouth, desperate to quell the hunger pains.

Just pausing a moment, Maikaze simply looked at her. "I guess I can understand that, I don't see it as a problem. He's had plenty of time in the Academy, so I trust him." She explained.

"Mmm." Akebono groaned. Unfortunately this girl didn't share in her convictions for that shitty admiral. She didn't feel like talking about him anyway, so she decided to change the subject. "How many do we have here?" She asked.

Maikaze just paused a few moments to think, and after several seconds spoke up. "We have nine combat vessels including you and one support vessel. So ten." Maikaze said.

Akebono was sort of taken aback by this, she expected small, but she had no idea there were so few of them. It only deepened her concern regarding the admiral of the base. She just let out a brief sigh before taking another bite of her food. She would have to pay him a visit soon so she could discuss some things with him.

* * *

"Yep, everything looks good. Construction is proceeding at full speed." Nonna stated. She was in a dimly lit control room filled with screens and consoles manned by fairies. All incoming information passed through the Fairies' Command Room, including communications, information gathered by recon, as well as current supply depot levels, repair and construction times, and anything else that needed to be constantly monitored.

Nonna had just finished sorting out the newest construction Daimlon had ordered just an hour ago, and the construction would finish on schedule. Another six hours and there would be another face walking about the base thanks to Nonna's efforts. She always looked forward to sorting out construction projects, it kept her busy at a breakneck pace for a good hour, and never had a dull moment. She scribbled her signature on a clipboard and handed it off to a nameless fairy, who saluted her before departing. That was it, there was nothing left to do except wait.

"All done over here Regina." She called out to the other side of the room.

"Okay, almost finished!" She heard Regina call back. She could only see the top of her hair as she had her face glued to a console, no doubt ironing out any kinks within the supply chain that had been set up. Luckily, Regina was free this time around and offered a hand, which significantly reduced Nonna's workload. "Aaand, done!" Regina said, peeling herself away from the console.

"Sweet, thanks for the help." Nonna said gratefully.

"It was nothing." Regina replied with a smile.

"What are you gonna do now?" Nonna asked.

"I'm probably going to stop by Daimlon's office to see if he still wants to set up the Evasion test for Jintsuu." Regina said simply.

"I hope not, it's always a pain setting up those tests." Nonna said, complaining a little.

Regina shrugged "I guess it can't really be helped. Someone has to do it." She said. There were a few seconds of silence between them. "Nonna, can I ask you something?" Regina asked.

Nonna just perked up a little bit. "Sure, go ahead." She said. If she had to guess, it was probably a question about Jintsuu.

"Do you think... It's maybe a little bit wrong... What Daimlon is doing to her?" Regina asked hesitantly.

Nonna took a deep breath and thought about it for a moment. "It's not really my place to question whether it's right or wrong. I trust Daimlon's judgement on the matter, and I'll follow his order." She replied.

"Well, I trust him too, but you have to have some sort of opinion on it." Regina said.

There was a short pause. "If it were me, I would be more lenient with her. I feel like he's trying to force progress too fast and it might backfire. But he's the Admiral, not me. Not to mention he's been around humans far longer than any of us." Nonna explained calmly.

At that moment a fairy stepped up to them, simply offering a clipboard to Regina. Broken from their concentration, Regina took the clipboard and began reading its contents. "What is it?" Nonna asked.

"It's a message from Grand Admiral Hokama, directed at Daimlon." Regina explained as she began reading his message. "It's a notification for an officer meeting taking place in a few weeks... Naturally he wants Daimlon to attend." She continued explaining.

She continued silently reading the letter to herself before speaking aloud. "All Admirals must attend this meeting. As usual, please bring your secretary ship with you. The location of the meeting will be hand delivered to those of you who may not already possess the location already. If you do not know the location, please send a response immediately." Regina stated.

"Hand delivered? Why not include it in the message?" Nonna asked.

Regina seemed to think for a moment. "I'm guessing so the Abyssals wouldn't know in case they crack our codes. I'm sure it's just a precaution." She said. Regina promptly continued reading. "Transportation will be provided by way of helicopter escorted by a wing of fighters. Numbers can range from forty to sixty aircraft in total. If you do not already have one, please construct an airfield immediately to offer refueling services to these aircraft. Ensure your airfield is at least level two to meet the fuel and vacancy demands of the incoming aircraft. An operational aircraft carrier does not count as an airfield. If you are unable to construct an appropriate airfield, notify me as soon as you can. As always, be safe out there. Signed, Grand Admiral Hokama." She finally finished.

Regina finally looked back up at Nonna. "Looks like we just had more work plopped on our plate." Nonna said with a smile.

"Appears so. Still, it gives us something to do." Regina noted. "I'll talk to you later Nonna, I should deliver this to Daimlon immediately."

"Of course, see you later." Nonna stated, issuing her farewell. Regina faded in a white shroud, teleporting directly to Daimlon's office.

Nonna continued wrapping up for a few moments before a familiar voice rang out behind her. "This whole thing bites." The voice groaned. Nonna turned around to see Marie floating behind her, obviously bored out of her mind. "Being a compass fairy on a base that never sorties is _so boring_." She stated, emphasizing the end of her sentence.

Nonna could understand her frustration and offered a half smile to Marie. "At least it gives you plenty of time to study the maps." She said encouragingly.

"That doesn't help. I know the area around here like the back of my hand, but we don't go anywhere." Marie said, continuing to voice her complaints.

"Don't worry Marie, you have the assault on UG coming up. After that we should be fairly active whether it's expeditions or sorties. Soon enough you'll be _too_ busy." Nonna said in a more serious voice.

"I hope so." Marie said, still visibly displeased with how little there was to do.

"Anyway, I need to go. I'll talk to you in a bit. Try not to have too much fun while I'm gone." Nonna said jokingly with a smile.

"I don't think you need to worry about that." Marie stated apathetically.

Nonna felt bad for her, but she knew Marie's mood was constantly fluctuating like that. She pictured the supply depot in her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she found herself at the Supply Depot where everyone was hard at work sending supplies toward the new construction. There she found Yuu who had been helping her get set up.

In her usual working outfit, she was helping to load resources onto the carts to be delivered. Nonna flew over to her after a brief moment. "Alright Yuu, go ahead and take a break, we can handle it from here." Nonna said.

As Yuu lowered a fairy sized pallet full of fuel onto the cart, she turned to face Nonna, visibly displeased with her instruction. However, Yuu was not one to question orders, no matter what. "Understood, thank you for allowing me to help." She said calmly.

"Thank you for your assistance, as always it's greatly appreciated." Nonna said cheerfully, offering her a smile.

"Is there anything else you would like me to do?" Yuu asked, hoping to obtain more work.

Nonna thought about it for a moment or two, thinking of what she could have Yuu do instead. "Unfortunately I don't have anything else you can really do. Sorry." Nonna said. She always felt bad telling Yuu she had no work for her, as she knew it greatly disappointed her.

"Very well. It cannot be helped then. Do not apologize." Yuu said formally. She started walking back toward the front of the building to grab her coat from the coat hanger.

There it was. Whenever Yuu was disappointed or upset she would always walk off and proclaim that it couldn't be helped. It wasn't hard to see her disappointment despite her calm and controlled demeanor. Nonna just decided to let her go, there was nothing she could do for her after all.

Yuu pushed her way past the double doors to the entrance, and put her coat on after grabbing it off the hook. She gave a hefty sigh as she realized the day was only half over and she had nothing left to do. She began preparing to head back to her room to burn some time. As she stepped out into the warm air outside and started heading toward the Crew Quarters, she had an idea. She remembered Daimlon stating to go back to him if they didn't have anything for her. It was worth a shot at the very least, and she was willing to do anything to keep the boredom at bay.

* * *

"Great, now I have to fund an airfield _and_ an assault on an island base." Daimlon said in a slightly irritated tone. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. At least the airfield would be a useful asset aside from refueling the incoming aircraft. "Alright, thank you Regina. Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" He asked her.

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about the Evasion Test for Jintsuu. It was supposed to be today, but obviously that's not happening. Are we still doing it?" Regina asked.

Daimlon paused for several moments. "Yeah. I've been behind the curve with all that's happened with Asashio and Jintsuu both. I'll try to schedule it soon, and I'll let you know as soon as possible." Daimlon explained.

Regina just looked at him with a sly smile for a moment. "Seems you're lost without your little helper." She said.

Daimlon scratched the back of his head as he sat up in his seat. "I wouldn't say lost, but yeah. It's definitely easier when she's here to help." Daimlon admitted.

"Why don't you make her your official secretary then? It wouldn't be a bad thing to have a little free time you know." Regina said. She didn't want to come right out and say it, but it bothered her how Daimlon insisted he be neck deep in work at all times.

Daimlon had thought about it before, but for a reason he couldn't pinpoint, he didn't want to. That was the best reason he could come up with. "I don't know." Daimlon said as he breathed deeply. "Part of me likes the idea, but another part doesn't." He explained to the best of his ability. What could it have been? Does he enjoy working on his own? Might he be afraid of becoming too close to her? Was he afraid of the other girls getting jealous? All of these seemed unlikely to him as he evaluated his own feelings. Overall she was a smart girl who was pleasant to be around, there shouldn't be anything to hold against her. Yet for some reason he simply didn't want her to be his secretary. At least not yet.

"Come on Daimlon, at least try it for a day or two to see how you like it first. You need to get out there and interact with everyone and get to know them. They won't follow you unless they trust you. And they need to know you in order to trust you." Regina said, imploring him to at least give it a shot.

Daimlon seemed to ponder the idea, his chin held in fingertips. "Maybe." He said.

"You need a secretary for this meeting coming up anyway." Regina reasoned as she adjusted her glasses, continuing to twist Daimlon's arm.

There was a drawn out silence as Daimlon thought about it. She was right after all, he did need to get to know everyone and that wouldn't happen as long as he stayed in his office all day. Plus it was kind of a requirement anyway. A day or two couldn't be th-.

Daimlon's train of thought was brought to a screeching halt as there was a knock on the door.

"Enter." He said loudly.

Much to his surprise, a somewhat familiar face stepped in. It was Akebono. She had a scowl across her face and stared at Daimlon in the face boldly.

Daimlon immediately felt his heart drop as he expected the worst, he hadn't really prepared himself for her to approach him like this. "Regina, you're dismissed." He stated, not breaking eye contact with the demon at his door.

Regina looked at Daimlon, then to Akebono and back to Daimlon again, a confused look on her face. She could sense the thick tension in the air as Akebono slowly walked over to the seat in front of Daimlon's desk. "Of course, I'll be around if you need me." She said, and scurried out of the room as fast as she could.

Now that they were alone, Akebono finally took her seat and simply continued to stare at Daimlon in silence.

Hopefully she was here to apologize.

"Can I help you Akebono?" He asked, curious as to why she was in his office on her own accord.

She folded her arms together and gave him a stern look. "No. Quite the opposite. I admit that I.. Overreacted yesterday, but I'm willing to help you." She said in a commanding, unapologetic voice.

Daimlon squinted his eyes at her for a moment in disbelief. After a brief delay, he gave his response. "I'm sorry?" He said, more as a statement than anything.

"I understand that a shitty Admiral like yourself has no clue what he's doing, but I can help you learn. Just listen to my advice and do as I say and everyone comes home alive. Got it?" She said.

Just who does girl think she is? "I'm fairly certain I have a grasp on the concepts of commanding a fleet." Daimlon said matter-of-factly. He was quickly growing irritated with this girl's pretentious and self righteous persona.

"You've never been in command of a fleet against the Abyssals. You don't know anything!" Akebono said, raising her voice a little.

"You're right about that, but I've studied how to for as long the Abyssals have existed. There's a reason I was given this position." Daimlon reasoned in a powerful voice. He refused to submit to this girl with the largest head he'd ever seen.

Akebono just scoffed, her scowl tightening across her face. "How naive! You think your time in the Academy can compare with how relentless they are!" Akebono as she pointed her finger at him. "You haven't got the slightest clue, it won't even be your skin if you mess it up!"

Daimlon couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he was growing fairly angry. "So I'm supposed to listen to a little girl who's not even a day old? Perhaps you're the one that isn't aware of how this works." Daimlon said in a loud, serious tone. "I'm in charge here. You take my orders and you execute them to the best of your ability. You come home, rearm and repair when necessary and do the same thing the next day. Got it?" Daimlon said quickly, refusing to get her a chance to cut in.

"If I did that you'd get us all killed in the span of a day. You're a pathetic excuse of an Admiral. How dare you even wear such a title! You're too young to be responsible for our lives and you know it! You're not mature enough!" She exclaimed, her face starting to grow red from raising her voice.

Daimlon just gave an exasperated chortle. "I never thought I'd see the day where a girl less than a day old would tell me I'm not mature. Unbelievable." He said, almost speaking to himself. "Listen, little girl, you need to understand one thing. I'm in charge here, and what I say goes. And I'm telling you to drop your pretentious attitude and grow up a little." He said.

"Pretentious!? I'm offering my help to you and this is what I get!?" Akebono was shouting at this pointing, almost screaming. "If you think I'm going to leave my life, as well as everyone else's, in your hands then you're dead wrong! You're getting my help whether you like it or not!" Akebono stood from her seat, her face beet red with fury.

"Like hell I am! Who do you think you are anyway? If you were a little more respectful it would've been tempting to take your help, but it's clear to me that what you possess is just a complete lack of trust." Daimlon said. He was just about finished with this girl, about to give her the boot out of his office and wash her mouth out with soap. That sounded like a nice idea.

"For good reason!" Akebono shouted.

Outside the door, Yuu could hear muffled shouts from inside, leaning against the wall as she patiently waited for Daimlon's visitor to finish so she could speak with him herself. Curious, she hesitantly stepped over to the door and pressed her ear against it.

"You're a shitty Admiral that's in way over his head! I'm going to spit in your face and tell you I told you so when half your fleet dies on the first day! You should just go on home to mommy and daddy so we can get someone who knows what the hell they're doing!" She heard an unfamiliar feminine voice shout from within.

Sitting forward in his sit a little further, Daimlon was about to give his response when the door swung open. Yuu stepped in calmly and only took a few steps inside. "Is this girl giving you a hard time, Admiral?" Yuu asked professionally.

Akebono turned to face her. "Who the hell are you?"

Yuu's expression was unchanged, eyes still firmly locked on Daimlon's.

Daimlon was incredibly relieved to see her. "She's just got a bit of an attitude. No big deal, Yuu." Daimlon assured her.

Akebono turned back to Daimlon. "Like hell, the only problem is how shitty you are at your job!" She shouted.

With a silence looming over them, Yuu briskly walked over to Akebono. The silence was broken as Yuu raised her hand and slapped Akebono with a loud clap. Without missing a beat, she crumpled Akebono's collar in her hand and brought Akebono's face mere inches from her own.

Akebono was staring at the face of death itself.

"Learn to respect your commanding officer." Yuu said with such an intimidating face and tone that grown men would cower before her. After a brief pause, Yuu looked up at Daimlon. "In Germany, we would toss ones with no respect into the harbor. Is there such a practice in your culture?" She asked, almost insisting she do something more to her.

Daimlon was overjoyed by Yuu's display. If he could, he would have given her a medal for it. "There is now... Do it." He said in a commanding voice.

With minimal effort, Yuu lifted Akebono off the ground. Akebono struggled and shouted at her the whole way as they went down the steps. Daimlon stood from his seat and looked out the window as he saw Yuu carry Akebono around like a sack of potatoes, a satisfied grin on his face.

"You put me down right now! You can't do this to me! I was only trying to help!" Akebono shouted as she tried to pry herself free of Yuu's grip.

As if she couldn't even hear Akebono's words, Yuu kept walking down the nearest arm of the harbor, her destination nearing with every step. Akebono glanced back to see they'd reached the end of the arm. "Wait! I can't swim!" Akebono said desperately.

Yuu stopped in her tracks, one step from going over the edge. It was quite a ways down. "I hope you learn quickly." She stated, and hurled Akebono into the harbor with a large splash. Yuu watched carefully, waiting for Akebono to surface as the water calmed, a steady stream of bubbles coming up from beneath. Initially, there was nothing, and soon the bubbles stopped. Yuu could feel a slight sense of worry spark across her, but quelled it within moments. Several seconds later, Akebono surfaced with a loud gasp.

"You do learn quick. I do hope you learn your lesson just as quickly." Yuu said without a hint of remorse.

Akebono worked up a short coughing fit as her deception failed. "Well this is just great. I'm so glad we could do this." Akebono said sarcastically. "But how the hell am I supposed to get out!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The walls of the harbor stood twice as tall she she was, and there were no visible ladders in sight.

Yuu simply pointed off to the side. "There is a ramp over there. I suggest you learn how to swim over there soon. Sharks can smell fear." She stated before turning around to head back inside.

Wading out in the water, Akebono could feel fear of the ocean depths build within her. She tried her best to shove it aside. "There are no sharks out here." She murmured to herself. Still, having said that, she was terrified it might be true, and quickly started swimming over in the direction Yuu had pointed. With every stroke, she could feel the nervousness build within her.

As she swam past a separate arm while looking for the ramp, she could hear footsteps above her. "Hey, are you okay?" A voice asked above her. Just then a long brown haired girl peeked over the edge.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Akebono said in a low tone, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Here, grab on." The girl had gotten on her stomach and lowered her hand to her.

Akebono was desperate to leave the water. She pushed herself up as best she could, and still barely managed to grab on to the girl's hand. It was a good grasp though, and with some effort from both of them, they managed to get Akebono back onto the dock. Akebono just lay flat on her back against the concrete, water pouring out beneath her from her drenched clothes and hair. "Thanks." She said as she breathed heavily.

"No problem. Who are you? You're new here right?" The girl asked.

"Yeah. I'm Akebono. And you?" Akebono responded.

"My name's Jintsuu. Nice to meet you." She said with a cheerful tone. "So.. Why did she throw you into the water?" Jintsuu asked innocently.

"Oh, let me tell you." Akebono said in an irritated tone.

* * *

Yuu closed the door behind her as she returned from her errand. She found Daimlon sitting at his desk with a grin on his face. Yuu calmly walked over to the seat before his desk, and sat down.

"Thanks Yuu. That was entertaining to watch." Daimlon said with a bit of excitement bleeding through his tone.

"It was my pleasure, sir." She stated.

"Now. I get the feeling you want to talk about something." Daimlon said.

Yuu just looked him in the eye with great intensity, almost begging for a positive answer. "I was hoping you would have something for me to do." Yuu said.

"Well... I could have you-" Daimlon began before cutting himself off. His eyes skimmed across the project he was about to begin working on next. Jintsuu's Evasion Test.

A few moments of silence passed between them as an idea struck Daimlon.

"Tell me Yuu. Have you ever trained anyone?" Daimlon asked.

Yuu was taken off guard by the question, and hesitated in her response. "Trained how, sir?" Yuu asked, seeking clarification.

"How to fight. Have you ever trained anyone in combat, and if so how extensively?" He asked in a serious tone.

Again, Yuu took a momentary pause, seeming to collect her thoughts. "I have. I was responsible for ensuring all incoming submarines were up to Kriegsmarine standards." She responded in her usual professional manner.

"Okay. Would you be able to train a surface vessel how to fight?" Daimlon asked. She only had experience training other submarines, but was hoping she might be able to cross that boundary.

"...To a certain extent sir, yes." She stated.

"Explain what you mean." Daimlon insisted. He rest his chin on his hands, his elbows resting on his desk as he listened intently.

"I would be able to teach one how a battle should be fought. As a submarine I was able to observe other magnificent surface ships do their duty with extreme skill, and I can get them to mimic their behavior. However, I would not be able to teach them to aim or how to maneuver properly. I am inexperienced with aiming cannons, and submarines by nature are neither fast nor nimble. I could teach them to aim a torpedo with pinpoint accuracy, however." Yuu explained in a very serious tone, as if she understood she was now in a job interview.

"I see... Have you ever dealt with anyone that had a lack of confidence and self esteem? Someone that struggles on the battlefield?" He asked her.

"Yes. I have seen this only twice before out of over a hundred submarines to pass under me. However both became incredibly skilled with time." She said confidently.

There was a drawn out silence between them. Daimlon didn't have the time to train her himself, otherwise he would. However, this would give Yuu something to do every day of the week for months on end.

Daimlon gave her a slight smile. "Then I would like to extend an offer to you. You are free to decline this offer... I would like you to start training Jintsuu. We don't know what her issue is, but she seems to be dismissed from every admiral she's ever served under. Obviously something is wrong with her, and I suspect it has something to do with her ability, or lack thereof, to fight. I want you to turn that around. It would give you something to do every day." Daimlon said, hoping she would take the offer.

Yuu seemed to only think about it for a second or two. "I accept your offer. What are the specifics on the training?" Yuu asked.

Accepting and then asking questions. She definitely wasn't doing this for herself. "I want you to make her confident in herself. While at the same time straining her to become better and better each day. I want you to employ any means necessary to make her the best. You are to train her every day but Sunday, and the intensity of the training for the remainder of the week is entirely up to you. You obviously have your own style and know what works, so I will trust in your judgement to make an efficient training schedule. Overall you only have one goal here." Daimlon said, pausing briefly to strengthen his following words. "Turn Jintsuu into a warrior."

"I can do that for you sir. I won't disappoint you." Yuu said, brimming with confidence. "When do I start?" She asked.

"Begin forming your schedule and training methods today. I am giving you access to all of our resources for anything you might need. Ask Nonna or Regina if there's anything you need a day in advance for training purposes. The only thing I ask is that you don't break the bank." Daimlon said, sitting back in his seat with his hands in his lap. "I will notify Jintsuu of this development. After that I will hold a brief discussion with you, and then you are free to train her as you see fit." He finally finished.

"Understood, sir. Thank you for trusting me with something so important." Yuu said gratefully. Yuu was swelling with pride and satisfaction, but from the outside no one would ever be able to tell.

"Thank you for doing this, not only for myself, but for Jintsuu as well... Was there anything else you wished to discuss?" Daimlon asked.

"No sir." Yuu replied.

"You are dismissed. I will call you into my office when I'm ready to go over more specific details with you." Daimlon said, shifting himself in his seat.

Yuu immediately stood from her seat and gave a sharp salute. "Understood!" She said in a motivated tone. Before Daimlon could return the salute, Yuu had dropped hers and turned around for the door. Within moments, she was gone, the door closing behind her with a clatter.

Daimlon just leaned back in his seat and smiled. Why didn't he think of this sooner?

* * *

It was dark. Really dark. Whispers could be heard as small images flashed before her eyes. They were unbelievably brutal depictions of war. Death. Destruction. Genocide. She watched a map of the world as a large portion of it began consuming itself in darkness. She saw flashes of letters and numbers, sentences and basic mathematical equations. Images of social interaction followed. How to utilize those words and sentences to fit the situation. How to make something of those strings of numbers and accomplish something from them. Finally, she saw herself. She was a Destroyer, a strong Destroyer with a bright cheerful spirit.

After images like these had flashed before her for what felt like hours, she knew everything she needed to know to do her duty and then some.

Slowly she opened her eyes to a dark room with light protruding through a large open door before her. There was a curtain hanging in front of the open door, blocking most of the light.

After a few moments passed, the curtain was swept aside, blinding her momentarily from the brightness outside. Someone had just stepped inside the room she was in. However, in spite of all of this she didn't feel scared or misplaced. She wasn't nervous or excited. She was more hungry than anything.

The lights flickered on, and she winced from the bright lights only for a moment. Before her stood a man she had never seen before. She examined the man wearing an officer uniform before her, brandishing the Admiral rank. He was tall, strong, and she could definitely get used to looking at him regularly. Above all however, she could see in his eyes that he was happy to see her. He almost invited her into a conversation just by looking at her alone.

The man walked toward her slowly, wearing a warm smile on his face. She already felt comfortable around him, like he was a distant friend of some sort. She felt like she could trust this person despite having no recollection of him as a person. It was a strange but oddly satisfying feeling.

Finally he stood directly before her, little less than an arm's length away. She stood only chest high on him, and had to look up at him to look him in the eye, that warm smile still across his lips.

There, standing before Daimlon was a rather cute girl, a look of awe across her face. Surely unaware of what to think of their encounter. He had barely started eating his dinner when his warning timer went off notifying him of this event. Above all, he was glad he hadn't missed it.

She had long dark hair, elegantly intermingled with a layer of hair behind her shoulders that shone a bright peachy color. It was the first time he had seen a head of hair consisting of two different colors before, and it appealed to him. She wore a small white coat, a matching red top and skirt bottom underneath covered the majority of her appearance.

Finally, he decided to speak. "Hello, my name is Admiral Daimlon. It's a pleasure to meet you." Daimlon said, still wearing that stupid grin on his face. The girl just continued to look up at him, almost looking uncomfortable with the situation. Suddenly, a loud violent growl erupted from her stomach.

She placed her hand on her stomach and glanced at it before looking back up at him in a great big smile."This Naganami is hungry!" She exclaimed.

Daimlon couldn't help but smile wider at her comment. Straight to the point, huh?

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Long time no see! I hope this chapter was worth the wait, I certainly attempted to make this one of my better chapters as compensation. I hope to pump out a few more chapters before the next semester picks up, but I'm expecting only one more. I will certainly try better this semester to write during the semester instead of slacking. I'm not going to promise anything however, as my grades are incredibly important to me. Anyway, I'm going to try and speed things up a bit with introducing new girls and try to make their appearance more impactful. This one was more of an experiment to try and accomplish just that, so tell me what you thought of it.**

**As always, you're all gorgeous and should leave a review behind so I know what my audience thinks. Thanks once again for being so patient, and I'll be seeing you all soon!**


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